The Economist Says Nanotechnology is 'A Little Risky Business'

The following is being issued by the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies:

What: A major feature story in this week's The Economist magazine (November 24, 2007) highlights the enormous promise of nanotechnology --- for breakthroughs in medicine, sustainable energy, and electronics. But the article, "A Little Risky Business," underscores the lack of research being done to determine how safe nanoscale materials are. And, despite nanotechnology's rapid commercialization, it highlights the lack of resources in government and industry that are being applied to address the problem. The story also considers the important question of whether current regulations are adequate to manage nanotechnology development safely.

The article is available at: http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10171212

Who: Andrew Maynard, chief science advisor for the Wilson Center's Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, is prominently featured in The Economist article. Maynard is a foremost expert on addressing possible nanotechnology risks and developing safe nanotechnologies. His Ph.D. is in ultrafine aerosol analysis from Cambridge University (UK). He is a frequent media guest and expert witness at Congressional hearings. He appears in the 2008 public television series, Nanotechnology: The Power of Small (see: http://www.fredfriendly.org )

Why: An exciting new field of research, nanotechnology is the ability to measure, see, manipulate and manufacture things usually between 1 and 100 nanometers. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter; a human hair is roughly 100,000 nanometers wide. Nanotechnology was incorporated into more than $50 billion in manufactured goods in 2006. By 2014, an estimated $2.6 trillion in manufactured goods worldwide will use nanotechnology, accounting for 15 percent of global output and 11 percent of manufacturing jobs.

For a look at over 500 manufacturer-identified nanotechnology consumer products on the market today, log on to http://www.nanotechproject.org/consumerproducts.

Media interested in interviewing Dr. Maynard should contact Sharon McCarter at (202) 691-4016 or sharon.mccarter@wilsoncenter.org.

The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies is an initiative launched by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and The Pew Charitable Trusts in 2005. It is dedicated to helping business, government and the public anticipate and manage possible health and environmental implications of nanotechnology.