What is Nanotechnology?

What is nanotechnology?

There is still not an internationally accepted nomenclature, set of definitions and measurement systems for nanotechnology, although work towards these has begun. The lack of a standardized nomenclature and measurement system has made it difficult to compare safety tests, exposure measurement and risk assessment carried out to date. However, the term 'nanotechnology' is now generally understood to encompass both nanoscience and the broad range of technologies that operate at the nanoscale.

• Nanoscience: The study of phenomena and materials at the atomic, molecular and macromolecular scales, where properties differ significantly from those at the larger scale
• Nanotechnology: design, characterization, production and application of structures, devices and systems by controlling shape and size at the nanoscale
• Nanoscale: having one or more dimensions of the order of 100nm or less, or having at least one dimension that affects functional behavior at this scale
• Nanomaterials: particles, nanotubes, nanowires, quantum dots, fullerenes (buckyballs) etc that exist at a scale of 100nm or less, or that have at least one dimension that affects their functional behavior at this scale One nanometre (nm) is one thousandth of a micrometer (ìm), one millionth of a millimeter (mm) and one billionth of a meter (m). To put 100 nanometers in context: a strand of DNA is 2.5nm wide, a protein molecule is 5nm, a virus particle 150nm, a red blood cell 7,000 nm and a human hair is 80, 000 nm wide and a flea is around 1,000,000nm in size.

Engineered vs. incidental nanoparticles

Engineered nanoparticles are deliberately manufactured and can be distinguished from nanoparticles that 'exist in nature', or are by-products of other human activities. 'Incidental' nanoparticles (also called ultrafine particles in the study of air pollution and its epidemiology) are a by-product of forest fires and volcanoes, and high-temperature industrial processes including combustion, welding, grinding and vehicle combustion. It is the manufactured or engineered nanotechnological products and processes that are the primary focus of the issues raised in this briefing paper. However many of the safety and regulatory issues relating to manufactured nanoparticles are also relevant to incidentally produced nanoparticles (e.g. the need to establish safe workplace exposure limits for all types of nanoparticles).

Related Information

A citizen's petition signed by Friends of the Earth and seven other groups calling for the Food and Drug Administration to adopt sensible principles for testing the safety of nanoparticles.

Friends of the Earth's reaction to a ruling by the FDA that rejected calls for products containing nanoparticles to be specially labeled and for the particles to be subject to special regulations.

Principles for the Oversight of Nanotechnologies and Nanomaterials

On January 31, 2008 Friends of the Earth joined a broad coalition of civil society, public interest, environmental and labor organizations to create and submit the following declaration, Principles for the Oversight of Nanotechnologies and Nanomaterials.  We joined to voice our concerns about various aspects of nanotechnology's human health, environmental, social and ethical impacts.