"Paving the Way For Nanotech
Institute of Medicine roundtable hosts forum to assess field, find ways to avoid misconceptions
SUSAN R. MORRISSEY
Nanotechnology has been billed as the next great technological revolution--sometimes referred to as the "second Industrial Revolution." It holds great promise in a number of areas, including medicine, energy, and materials science. But as the science advances and applications begin to emerge, researchers and policymakers fear that unintended health and environmental implications and a backlash of negative public opinion will stop the field in its tracks.
To guard against such a backlash, a push is under way to make sure that, as the science moves forward, issues related to the environmental and safety implications and the ethical concerns of nanotechnology also are studied. This latter group of studies was the topic of discussion at an Institute of Medicine workshop held in Washington, D.C., on May 27. Sponsored by IOM's Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research & Medicine, the meeting assessed the current state of research on nanotech implications."
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