30-08-2017, 10:58 AM
The impact of nanotechnology extends from its medical, ethical, mental, legal and environmental applications to fields such as engineering, biology, chemistry, computer science, materials science and communications.
The main benefits of nanotechnology include improved manufacturing methods, water purification systems, energy systems, physical improvement, nanomedicine, better methods of food production, nutrition and self-fabrication of large-scale infrastructure. The reduced size of nanotechnology can allow the automation of tasks that were previously inaccessible due to physical constraints, which in turn can reduce the requirements of human labor, land or maintenance.
Potential risks include environmental, health and safety issues; the transition effects as the displacement of traditional industries as the products of nanotechnology become dominant, which are of interest to the defenders of privacy rights. These can be particularly important if the potential negative effects of nanoparticles are ignored.
If nanotechnology deserves special government regulation, it is a controversial issue. Regulatory bodies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency and the European Commission's Directorate of Health and Consumer Protection have begun to address the potential risks of nanoparticles. The organic food sector has been the first to act with the regulated exclusion of engineered nanoparticles of certified organic products, first in Australia and the United Kingdom, and more recently in Canada, as well as for all food certified according to Demeter International Standards.
The main benefits of nanotechnology include improved manufacturing methods, water purification systems, energy systems, physical improvement, nanomedicine, better methods of food production, nutrition and self-fabrication of large-scale infrastructure. The reduced size of nanotechnology can allow the automation of tasks that were previously inaccessible due to physical constraints, which in turn can reduce the requirements of human labor, land or maintenance.
Potential risks include environmental, health and safety issues; the transition effects as the displacement of traditional industries as the products of nanotechnology become dominant, which are of interest to the defenders of privacy rights. These can be particularly important if the potential negative effects of nanoparticles are ignored.
If nanotechnology deserves special government regulation, it is a controversial issue. Regulatory bodies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency and the European Commission's Directorate of Health and Consumer Protection have begun to address the potential risks of nanoparticles. The organic food sector has been the first to act with the regulated exclusion of engineered nanoparticles of certified organic products, first in Australia and the United Kingdom, and more recently in Canada, as well as for all food certified according to Demeter International Standards.