Posts in 'Health'
July 16, 2008 |
Posted by Cal Baier-Anderson in
Consumer Products, Health, Risk Management, Worker Safety
Cal Baier-Anderson, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist.
Ah, summer! It’s a great time to be outdoors, enjoying the warm, sunny weather. Before you go outside, be sure to grab your sunscreen, that essential product that protects against skin cancer and sun damage. But which kind of sunscreen is best? There is a mesmerizing array of sunscreen options, but for our purposes let’s limit the question to one: Nano or not nano?
Read more »
June 9, 2008 |
Posted by Cal Baier-Anderson in
Consumer Products, Environment, Health, Research
Cal Baier-Anderson, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist.
The proliferation of nanoscale materials in consumer products is impressive: nano titanium dioxide and zinc oxide in sunscreen, buckyballs in face creams, and nanosilver in socks are but a few examples of what is currently available for purchase. But they make me wonder: what happens when the nanomaterials in or released from these products are washed down the drain? Read more »
June 6, 2008 |
Posted by Richard Denison in
Environment, Health, NNI, Policy
Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
Yesterday the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2008 (H.R. 5940), by a vote of 407-6. Among other changes, the bill calls for a number of much-needed improvements in how the NNI addresses health and environmental concerns associated with nanotechnology. See EDF’s news release issued today.
May 20, 2008 |
Posted by John Balbus in
Carbon Nanotubes, Health, Inhalation, Research, Testing
John Balbus, M.D., M.P.H., is Chief Health Scientist.
A new study published today in Nature Nanotechnology finds that multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) cause inflammatory changes in mice that closely resemble those caused by asbestos. This is the second study in a few months to make this finding. (I posted on the first, Takagi et al., a few weeks ago.) So is the case closed on multi-walled carbon nanotubes? Or is too early to draw conclusions? Read more »
May 9, 2008 |
Posted by John Balbus in
Environment, Health, In Vitro, Risk Assessment
John Balbus, M.D., M.P.H., is Chief Health Scientist.
The history of health and environmental impacts of fuel additives is not a pretty one. From tetra-ethyl lead to methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), we’ve learned the hard way that what goes in the tank ends up in our bodies and the environment sooner or later. Getting a thorough understanding of the potential risks of a new fuel additive at an early stage is essential to avoid a lot of harm, suffering, and economic costs down the line.
A new study by Park et al. has assessed the potential respiratory risks of a fuel additive called Envirox (nanoparticulate cerium oxide), giving it a clean bill of health based only on in vitro tests. Is this the vision of the future of risk assessment? Should we feel safe? Read more »
April 29, 2008 |
Posted by Cal Baier-Anderson in
Consumer Products, EPA, Environment, Health, Nanosilver
Cal Baier-Anderson, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist.
A recent article posted on scienceline includes a claim that bacteria cannot develop resistance to silver, which is widely used as an antimicrobial. That assertion is not only false, but also dangerous. Read more »
April 17, 2008 |
Posted by John Balbus in
Carbon Nanotubes, Health, Research, Testing
John Balbus, M.D., M.P.H., is Chief Health Scientist.
We and many others have made analogies between nanoparticles and asbestos. The purpose of the analogy has generally been to emphasize the long latency that can occur between exposure to toxic materials and the development and subsequent recognition of disease arising from that exposure. And, of course, the enormous legal and financial burden of failing to adequately consider risks before allowing widespread exposure. But a new study suggests that the analogy may be even stronger than we thought: It may extend to the capacity to cause mesothelioma, the rare form of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos. Read more »
April 3, 2008 |
Posted by Richard Denison in
Environment, Health
Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
Or at least the small screen. Coming to your local PBS station this month is a three-part series on nanotechnology called The Power of Small. The segments cover three facets of the much-needed social debate about nanotechnology: privacy issues (e.g., nano-enabled tracking devices), ethical issues (focusing on the potential to greatly extend human life expectancy), and, of course, the environmental risks and applications. Read more »
March 7, 2008 |
Posted by Cal Baier-Anderson in
Environment, Health, Research
Cal Baier-Anderson, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist.
Each year, the journal Environmental Science & Technology selects a list of Top Papers it has published that are “expected to have a significant and long-lasting impact on the field.” For 2007, its choice for the top environmental science paper addresses a curious facet of the behavior of certain metal oxide nanoparticles: They can behave as “Trojan horses,” getting inside cultured lung cells and causing significant damage. Read more »
February 21, 2008 |
Posted by John Balbus in
Health, Inhalation, Research
John Balbus, M.D., M.P.H., is Chief Health Scientist.
It’s been a worry for engineered nanoparticles. Now, a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health (Suglia et al., 2008) is the first to suggest that particulate air pollution not only damages the lungs and heart, but also may damage the developing brain.
Researchers measured cognitive function in over 200 children in Boston in relation to their residential exposure to traffic-related air pollution by measuring airborne carbon black particles. They found the IQ-lowering effect of higher exposure is comparable to a pregnant mother smoking 10 cigarettes a day or moderate lead exposure. Read more »
Nanotechnology Notes is powered by WordPress.
RSS feeds are available for posts and comments.
