NRC Report Faults Federal Strategy for Nanotechnology-Related Research

The National Research Council (NRC) has published a report, titled Review of Federal Strategy for Nanotechnology-Related Environmental, Health, and Safety Research, that finds “serious weaknesses in the government’s plan for research on the potential health and environmental risks posed by nanomaterials, which are increasingly being used in consumer goods and industry.” NRC describes the research plan developed under the auspices of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) as “incomplete,” noting that it does not
“include research goals to help ensure that nanotechnologies are developed and used as safely as possible.” According to a December 10, 2008, NRC press release, the NNI plan takes only a cursory look at important research areas like “Nanomaterials and Human Health,” which should “include a more comprehensive evaluation of how nanomaterials are absorbed and metabolized by the body and how toxic they are at realistic exposure levels.” NRC also faults the NNI for failing to incorporate vital input from “industries that produce and use nanotechnologies, environmental and consumer advocacy groups, and other stakeholders.” “The plan should identify research needs clearly and estimate the resources necessary to address gaps, as well as provide specific, measurable objectives and a timeline for meeting them,” NRC concludes. “The current structure of NNI would make developing a visionary and authoritative strategy difficult.”