According to the report published by BCC Research, the market value of the worldwide nanomedicine industry was $63.8 billion and $72.8 billion in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 12.5% to reach $130.9 billion by the fiscal year 2016. Read more

In a recent speech I made to business leaders in Boston, I explained that perched atop 26 years of experiences I've stacked up in nanobusiness, I have a pretty good view to the horizon. You know what I see?  Decades of investment by government and the private sector have grown into a field of economic opportunity, now ripe with good jobs. Read more

Radiological Technologies University VT, located in South Bend, Indiana is pleased to announce the approval of the first Master’s of Science in Nanomedicine degree program in the country. The formal approval was granted today through the Indiana Commission for Postsecondary Proprietary Education. Nanomedicine is the medical application of Nanotechnology which focuses its work at the cellular level to do everything from repairing tissue, to cleaning arteries, to attacking cancer cells and viruses like AIDS. Read more

The potential of advanced nanotechnology is getting some attention from mainstream media. Late last year The Guardian web site posted a brief article on the prospects for nanofactories and atomically precise manufacturing, featuring quotes from Christine Peterson and Robert Freitas. Read more

Foresight’s principal focus has been the development of advanced nanotechnology for atomically precise manufacturing, but the incremental development and application of current nanotechnology is also a major interest. Meeting the challenges of incremental nanotechnology development and application includes adequately addressing any potential environmental, health, and safety issues (see Foresight’s “Nanoparticle safety” policy brief.). Read more

The performance of an electrochemical multiwalled carbon nanotube (EC-MWNT) filter toward virus removal and inactivation in the presence of natural organic matter was systematically evaluated over a wide range of solution chemistries. Read more

The Bren School-based authors of a study published Jan. 20 in the journal PLoS ONE have observed toxicity to marine organisms resulting from exposure to a nanoparticle that had not previously been shown to be toxic under similar conditions. Read more

WASHINGTON — Despite extensive investment in nanotechnology and increasing commercialization over the last decade, insufficient understanding remains about the environmental, health, and safety aspects of nanomaterials. Without a coordinated research plan to help guide efforts to manage and avoid potential risks, the future of safe and sustainable nanotechnology is uncertain, says a new report from the National Research Council. The report presents a strategic approach for developing research and a scientific infrastructure needed to address potential health and environmental risks of nanomaterials. Its effective implementation would require sufficient management and budgetary authority to direct research across federal agencies.Read more

With these advances, researchers have heralded both positive and negative effects of nanotechnology. Advocates point to efficient energy consumption, a cleaner environment, and eradicating health problems. Others have noted we do not know enough about how nanomaterials function, how they add potential stressors to the environment, or what chemical reactions may result when nanomaterials meet other particles. Both groups have called for further debate and advanced research into nanotechnology to determine the balance between risks and benefits. Read more

This article analysis the potential consequences of the application of nanotechnology in the Indian context and studies the institutional arrangements for “risk governance” of nanotechnology in other countries. It is argued that nanotechnology governance in India requires a separate agency – similar to the one established for biotechnology – to develop human resources, infrastructure, and research and to monitor issues and concerns in the field. Read more

A challenge-facing hazard identification and safety evaluation of engineered nanomaterials being introduced to market is the diversity and complexity of the types of materials with varying physicochemical properties, many of which can affect their toxicity by different mechanisms. Read more

According to the report published by BCC Research, the market value of the worldwide nanomedicine industry was $63.8 billion and $72.8 billion in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 12.5% to reach $130.9 billion by the fiscal year 2016. Read more

Food Navigator reports that UK experts are demanding public debate and regulation of nanomaterials in foods.  Without that, they warn, nanotechnology risks “facing the same fate as genetically modified (GM) foods in consumer perceptions.” Read more

Workers with existing allergic conditions have worse reactions when exposed to nanoparticles in the workplace, suggest Chinese scientists. They believe that the response is caused by a Trojan horse known as an exosome, which is present in all of us. Read more

Source: The Bureau of National Affairs Daily Environment Report (15 Dec 2011) Author(s): Pat Rizzuto. Read more

Nanotechnology is an emerging science that offers many new opportunities for the food industry, but food manufacturers should be aware that there are some potential risks with this new technology. Food Manufacturing spoke with Amy Galland of As You Sow about nanotechnology and what processors should consider before implementing this new science into their processes. Read more

SAN FRANCISCO - December 21 - Concerned by the growing body of scientific reports cautioning against the unregulated use of nanotechnology in consumer products, a coalition of nonprofit consumer safety and environmental groups sued the Food and Drug Administration today. The case is the first lawsuit over the health and environmental risks of nanotechnology and nanomaterials. Read more

A coalition of consumer advocacy groups filed suit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Wednesday, the latest move in a long effort to force the agency to regulate sunscreens, cosmetics and other products containing super-small particles. Read more

The purpose of the OECD Series on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials is to provide up-to-date information on the diverse activities at OECD related to human health and environmental safety. Read more

Much of the past decade has been spent worrying about the potential toxicity of nanomaterials. We have had numerous government-funded projects, scores of publications by environmental groups, intense lobbying demanding the labelling of nanomaterials, and even a law suit. But while the developed world agonises over the use of nanomaterials, much of the rest of the world is simply getting on with using them. Read more