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
Richard Denison, PhD, is a Senior Scientist.
Just after publishing my last post, I learned that the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Products has released a new Scientific Opinion that concludes current risk assessment procedures and methods applied to cosmetics, in particular sunscreens, are insufficient. Read More
Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
It’s been a few months now since the White House took the unusual step of articulating some “Principles for Nanotechnology EH&S Oversight.” Given recent events, it’s worth again reflecting on this official memorandum, which was signed by the heads of the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and sent to the heads of all federal agencies and departments.
Despite the title, it’s very hard not to read this document as one intended primarily to throw up barriers to effective oversight. Read More
Cal Baier-Anderson, PhD, is a Health Scientist.
In the current regulatory environment, where there are no regulations that specifically take into account the unique properties of engineered nanomaterials, industry has by default the primary responsibility for their safe production and use. Is industry taking this responsibility seriously?
Two recent studies, one in Europe and one in the U.S., shed light on this question and reveal some reasons to be concerned. Read More
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
Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
Just when you thought it might never emerge, the National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) Strategy for Nanotechnology-Related Environmental, Health and Safety Research (PDF, 2.2 MB ) finally hit the streets last week.
It’s got good, bad and ugly. The good news is that here, at last, is a report from NNI that actually reads more like a strategy and less like yet another laundry list of research needs. The bad news is that key elements of a full strategy are still nowhere to be found. Read More
