Government Fails to Assess Potential Dangers of Nanotechnology
Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 17:56
in Physics & Chemistry
Pesticide DDT, industrial lubricants PCBs and now plastic BPA (bisphenol A) are all widely used industrial chemical compounds that have been discovered to cause ills such as cancer and/or environmental damage. Worried that the latest chemical craze--nanoparticles (molecules and even atoms engineered at the scale of one billionth of a meter or smaller)--may follow suit, a panel of scientists is urging federal government agencies to assess the potential risks posed by such engineered chemicals and particles before they are used in any more substances. [More]