U.S. Congress Turns Attention to Nanotechnology Issues
Legislation recently introduced in the House and Senate would take different approaches to the continuing development and use of nanotechnology. Senators Mark Pryor (D-Ariz.) and Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) have co-sponsored a bill (S. 2942), the “Nanotechnology Safety Act of 2010,” that would establish a program within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate nanoscale materials used in FDA-regulated products to assess their “potential toxicity” and interactions with biological systems. The measure would appropriate $25 million for each year from 2011 through 2015 to carry out the program.
Among other matters, the proposal calls on FDA to assess scientific literature and data, develop models to formulate general principles for “the behavior of classes of nanoscale materials with biological systems,” undertake collaborative efforts to understand the “science of novel properties at the nanoscale that might contribute to toxicity,” build agency expertise on these issues, ensure ongoing training, and “participate in international and national consensus standards activities.” The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Representative David Wu (D-Ore.) has introduced the “Nanotechnology Education Act” (H.R. 4502), which calls for the National Science Foundation director to establish “a nanotechnology in the schools program to strengthen the capacity of eligible institutions to provide instruction in nanotechnology.” The director would be authorized to award $400,000 grants to eligible secondary and post-secondary schools to acquire nanotechnology equipment and software, develop appropriate instructional programs and provide related teacher education and certification. Designed to strengthen the capacity of the nation’s schools to “prepare students for careers in nanotechnology,” the proposal has one co-sponsor and has been referred to the House Committee on Science and Technology.
