Tag Archives: risk

Nanotechnology, toxicity, and sunscreens

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You don’t expect to read about nanotechnology in a fashion magazine but there it was — in an article on sunscreens by Sarah Nicole Prickett. (The article titled, ‘Overprotected‘ can be found in the Summer 09 issue of a Canadian magazine called ‘Fashion‘.) The piece highlighted for me some of the constraints that writers encounter when writing about science issues in articles that are not destined for popular science magazines and the concerns that scientists have with how their work is represented in popular media.

I enjoyed the article but this caught my attention immediatedly,

But there’s another potentially dark side to sunscreen: nanotechnology.

For nanotechnology, you could substitute the words science or chemistry. The word covers  a lot of ground as Victor Jones, consultant and former chair of Nanotech BC, noted in part 2 of his interview here where he described it as an enabling technology.

There are any number of reasons why the writer might have chosen this approach. She’s trying to keep your attention (I’ve done this myself); she doesn’t understand nanotechnology very well (Note: there are competing definitions and narratives which makes it time-consuming to sort things out); she thought the readers would not be interested in a more technically accurate and dull description (well, it’s not a science magazine); she didn’t have the editorial space; etc.

The problem for scientists is that a lot of people get their science information in this casual, informal way and it’s not understood by the general audience and scientists that writers are under a great many constraints when they’re producing their articles (or their tv or movie or game scripts for that matter) and I’ve only named a few possible constraints.

To give the writer credit, she does explain some of the potential issues with nanoparticles clearly. Personally, I would have liked to have seen where she got information from because I don’t know which type of particles she’s talking about.

Coincidentally, I just found a story about nanoparticles and lung problems. The type of particles discussed in the news release are new to me (from Physorg.com),

In a study published online today (Thursday 11 June) in the newly launched Journal of Molecular Cell Biology [1] Chinese researchers discovered that a class of nanoparticles being widely developed in medicine – ployamidoamine dendrimers (PAMAMs) – cause lung damage by triggering a type of programmed cell death known as autophagic cell death. They also showed that using an autophagy inhibitor prevented the cell death and counteracted nanoparticle-induced lung damage in mice.

Back to the article in ‘Fashion‘, she’s right there are a lot of questions about the impact about all these particles potentially entering our cells. The Canadian Council of Academies’ Expert Panel that she refers to in her article produced a report in 2008 and I thought their recommendations were rather tepid (you can see my posting here) but the quote she has from the chair of the committee, Pekka Sinervo, puts a different face on it.

I’m glad a chance to see the article and learn from it. Now, I’m going to be looking for more information about the particles in sunscreens and more cautious about what I put on my skin.

As for scientists getting their message out, maybe they could have a ‘Sexy Scientists’ article in a poular magazine and more accurate information about nanotechnology and other emerging technologies could be sausaged in somehow. In New York, there’s an annual World Science Festival going on. It looks like they’ve managed to move out of the science museum and into the street.

Liquid lenses and integrated research into nanotechnology safety

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A flexible, fluid micro lens has been created by engineers at Penn State University. Here’s why it’s interesting news (from Nanowerk News),

Like tiny Jedi knights, tunable fluidic micro lenses can focus and direct light at will to count cells, evaluate molecules or create on-chip optical tweezers, according to a team of Penn State engineers. They may also provide imaging in medical devices, eliminating the necessity and discomfort of moving the tip of a probe.

For more about the work, go here. On a sidenote, this is the first time I’ve seen a Star Wars metaphor used. Depending on the nature of the breakthrough, you usually get Spiderman, Harry Potter, or Star Trek if they’re using a science fiction metaphor.

In other news, the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) in Scotland will be leading a multi-million Euro project, Engineered NanoParticle Risk Assessment (ENPRA). From Nanowerk News (again),

The 3 ½ year IOM-led project, worth €3.7 million, harnesses the knowledge and capabilities of 15 European and 6 US partners including three US Federal Agencies: EPA, NIOSH and NIH-NIEHS. Under the coordination of Dr Lang Tran, IOM’s Director of Computational Toxicology, ENPRA will utilise the latest advances within in vitro, in vivo and in silico approaches to nanotechnology environment, health & safety (EHS) research to realise its aims.

There’s more about the project here. For anyone not familiar with the US abbreviations, EPA = Environmental Protection Agency, NIOSH = National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, and NIH-NIEHS = National Institutes of Health – National Institute of Environmental Health and Safety.

I don’t know but this seems like a lot of governments and it could take them years to figure out what the multiple agency abbreviations stand for. Even so, bravo for taking the first steps.

More bureaucracy for nanotechnology oversight?

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J. Clarence (Terry) Davies has authored a second report on nanotechnology oversight for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies calling for a new government department, an environmental and consumer protection agency. The report and a brief video interview with Davies are here.

I did watch the video and as I’ve noted elsewhere I don’t think that Davies understands nanotechnology very well. His responses were a little over-rehearsed as were the questions. The most interesting part of the video was when he said that the reason for suggesting a new government agency was to stimulate discussion and thought rather than an exhortation to create yet another government entity.

Meanwhile, I got a notice today that Nanotech BC has suspended operations until they secure funding. As of May 1, 2009 the mailing address and telephone number will be:

Nanotech BC
c/o Michael Alldritt
FP Innovations — Forintek Division
2665 East Mall Vancouver, BC V6T 1W5
tel (604) 222-5728
fax (604) 222-5690
info@nanotechbc.ca

IBM challenges Intel with its 28 nm processor and Simon Fraser University ensures safety in nanotechnology labs

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A while back (Feb.11.2009), I posted about Intel’s $7B investment in production facilities for 32 nm processors. Yesterday, IBM announced this (from Beta News),

“… IBM and its alliance partners are helping to accelerate development of next-generation technology to achieve high-performance, energy-efficient chips at the 28 nm process level, maintaining our focus on technology leadership for our clients and partners,” stated IBM R&D chief Gary Patton …

The Beta News article provides an informative perspective (for neophytes like me) on the competition between the two companies.

Back to Simon Fraser University and their 4D Labs. I just got an announcement that,

4D LABS will be an example of how university-based research labs in Canada can meet semiconductor industry standards for ensuring personal safety as well as environmental protection from combustible and toxic gases.

(As far as I’m aware there is no standard for gases or anything else that is specific for nanotechnology fabrication in Canada or anywhere else for that matter. That said, Nanotech BC and other Canadian organizations have been quite involved in the International Council on Nanotechnology’s (ICON) occupation health and safety initiatives.) Again from the announcement,

SFU’s 4D LABS, science faculty and environmental health and safety (EHS) department collaborated on building a system to contain and neutralize gases. Designers had to integrate an extensive gas-piping network with thermal processing and neutralization equipment. The system uses a special burner and water treatment to break down, scrub and transform the gases into safe air emissions.

… “The design of this system is intended not only to protect the researchers and our environment, but also to raise environmental awareness of students, faculty, and visitors,” says Tom Cherng, 4D LABS’ process engineer.

Have a nice weekend.

More about Canada’s nano information-gathering exercise

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The last few days have been devoted to the ‘announcement’ by Environment Canada via the Project for Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) which is based in Washington, DC. I think I’ve adequately covered the strangeness of hearing about our new government project from a source other than our own government in the previous postings (here and here) so I’m wrapping this up with a brief valentine (of sorts) to David Rejeski, PEN director.

Rejeski has an essay on the Nanowerk website published Feb. 5, 2009 here which explains why Canada is important. I am charmed. So often Americans forget or take Canada for granted, although I am a little concerned that he’s an expat Canadian, in which case the title of the essay and final paragraph are just tacky.(Why are they tacky if he’s an expat? Because too many Canadians go down to the US to explain why Canada is important and, frankly, I think that undercuts our case.)

Rejeski’s essay does explain the reasoning behind the recent move by Environment Canada and places it in a context that includes the US, Britain, and France. I do wish there were more details from Environment Canada but there are those restrictive communication policies that were put in place in Feb. 2008.

Final thoughts on Canadian Wire’s nanotechnology articles written by John Cotter.  The fact that a single article is used uncritically by so many media outlets points to a problem: corporate concentration of ownership. It is not new. My textbooks in the mid-1980s had data from the 1970s at least (memory fails, the trend may have started earlier) showing this trend. Since then it’s only intensified especially since the media conglomerates in Canada (don’t know about anywhere else) can have a single reporter gather info., write it up, and present content to be used in newspapers, radio. and tv. (I think that was a new policy that was adopted sometime after 2000.)

It’s hard to tell that the informatiion ia all coming for the same source (you don’t have to include the byline if it’s coming from a newswire and you’re not using the article in its entirety if it’s being published). To be honest, I never noticed it much until I made a point of chasing down the articles and saw the startling similarity in the texts. (more thoughts about corporate concentration of ownership and diversity of interests in upcoming postings)

Quantum dots possibly toxic? And a followup to the Canadian 2009 budget and Genome Canada

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After last week’s (and continuing into this week) excitement over Canadian scientists creating the smallest quantum dot ever, there’s an article about possible toxicity in Science Daily here. The gist of the article is that quantum dots which are used in solar cells, medical imaging devices, and elsewhere could decompose during use or after they’re disposed. In any event, the decomposed dots could release metals that are toxic when they are exposed to acidic and/or alkaline environments. According to the article, there’s no need to sound an alarm yet but it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the situation.

I made a comment abut mapping genomes when discussing the science funding cuts in the Canadian budget which featured Genome Canada’s complete disappearance [from the budget].  I referred to a comment by Denise Caruso (she was featured in a Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies webcast discussing synthetic biology here). I’ve reviewed the webcast and found that she wasn’t referring to genome mapping per se but was discussing something called the Encode Study which was four years long and funded by the Human Genome Project. It featured an international consortium of 80 organizations that were working together to create an encyclopedia of DNA elements. Here’s a rough transcription of her comments,

We have no idea what we’re talking about here. The genes don’t operate the way we thought they did. The genome is not a tidy collection of independent genes where the sequence of DNA does this [action] and always does this so we can put it on a shelf [and have it on a] parts inventory list. [The genes] operate within networks. What they [study participants] said was almost 180 degrees opposite to what we have believed for quite some time.

Rick Weiss who was interviewing her went on to describe how a genes that are seemingly unrelated signal each other in ways that we had not expected. Who knows how it all works in the environment i.e. when you get out of the lab?

So getting back to my original point, mapping is fine but it’s not the most primary goal. As per the webcast, it’s the relationships or networks that are important.

A quick note: the University of Virginia has a virtual lab that features information and podcasts about nano. You can go here to see it.

Silver nanoparticles, local business, and some toxicity findings

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In December 2008 I saw an article in The Province’s business pages about a local apparel (sportswear) company, Firstar, which produces shirts that don’t smell or stain due to a special polyester fabric that is “moisture- and heart-repelling and bacteria-destroying.” This time they’ve gotten a write up in Business Vancouver

When I first wrote about the company (Dec.22.08), I noted that there was a mention of silver ions which gave the fabric its anti-bacterial properties. I noted that the silver ions were likely silver nanoparticles. I did email a question to the company about this. There was a reply but no information about the silver nanoparticles and possible health issues.

It’s interesting to note that the Business in Vancouver article makes no reference to silver ions and the fabric is described as a microfibre material. Of course, the focus is mostly on the business side of it, which is natural given the paper’s readership/market.

Seeing the article reminded me of them and I went looking for information about silver nanoparticles and some of the concerns regarding its use. I found this article by Michael Berger. It seems that silver nanoparticles can be toxic and the reason for being concerned is that the particles are appearing in the water supply. The sport shirt that hardly ever has to be washed eventually  does have to be washed. And because silver nanoparticles can be washed away, they end up in the water supply.

There are a lot of companies (not just Firstar) using nanoparticles in their products and what that means nobody really knows. Personally, I’d be a little careful about using anything with silver nanoparticles in it.

Kerfuffle (?) about regulating nano in Canada

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Canadian Press has an article by John Cotter ‘Experts have wanted Ottawa to regulate nanotechnology Ottawa has yet to respond’ that’s making the rounds in the blogosphere. The report being discussed ‘Small is different’ was filed July 2008 and can be found here, just look down the list. I did mention the report here about the time it was released.

The thing that makes the article interesting to me is that it seems like there’s a kerfuffle but it’s one article that’s been picked up and published all over the place. It’s not obvious because a publication doesn’t necessarily use the whole piece, regardless, if you look, it’s always attributed to Canadian Press and you’ll notice that what you’re reading is an edited version (or, if they list the author John  Cotter, you’re reading the whole article).

Nano events

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The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) has a couple of events coming up later this month. The first one is this coming Thurs., Jan. 8, 2009 ‘Synthetic Biology: Is Ethics A Showstopper? from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm EST. The event features two speakers, Arthur Caplan, an ethicist from the University of Pennsylvania, and Andrew Maynard, the chief science advisor for PEN. They request an RSVP, if you are attending in person. Go here for more details and/or to RSVP. Or you can view the webcast live or later. Their other event is on Weds.,  Jan. 14, 2009 and is called ‘Nanotech and Your Daily Vitamins’. The time for this event is 9:30 am – 10:30 am EST. The featured speakers, William B. Schultz and Lisa Barclay, are the authors of a report for PEN about the FDA and how it can address issues surrounding dietary supplements that use nanomaterials. For more details about the event and/or to RSVP, go here. There is also the webcast option. There is a link to the report from the event page but you have to log in to view it (as of Jan.6.09).

Nanotech BC is cancelling its Jan. 15, 2009 breakfast speaker event. Meanwhile, Nanotech BC organizers are preparing for the second Cascadia Symposium on April 20 – 21, 2009 at the Bayshore. They’ve gone for a larger venue (250 people) than last year’s. No other details are available yet.

Sporty nano in Vancouver, Canada

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As soon as I saw the title I knew it had to be a nanotech product. “The new ‘no sweat’ science” was an article in the Sunday (Dec. 21, 2008) edition of The Province daily paper. A local company, Firstar Sports (based in Surrey), makes a shirt that wicks away your sweat and never smells. The current CEO, Keith Gracey, wore the shirt over a period of months for his workouts and never washed it. Plus, he never had any complaints about the smell.

The ‘no smell’ part was the clue. There’s been a lot of talk about silver nanoparticles and their anti-bacterial properties which can be used in bandages to combat (infection and in clothing to combat smell.  Interestingly, nobody used the word nanotechnology or any of its variants in the article,

Throw in some anti-bacterial silver ions and Firstar’s garments have a 99.9-er-cent kill rate for bacteria after 50 washes, Gracey  (CEO) and Thom (Founder and VP) say. [emphasis is mine]

Certainly the marketing and PR folks seem to be backing off from using the nanotechnology or any of its variants. I commented on this development in my Talking nano posting. I also gave a link to an article by Alex Shmidt about this.

The article in The Province did not mention any risks but i don’t expect the reporter knew enough to ask the question. For the record, I have seen material which indicates that the silver nanoparticles (or ions) wash off, which means they could end up in our water supply. As far as I know, there’s no definitive data whether or not this feature could pose risks.