Nanotechnology research is presently a boom area. The rapid pace of breakthroughs in nanotechnology holds the promise of revolutionary improvements in areas such as medical diagnosis and treatment, cosmetics, military equipments, nanostructured polymers and catalysts, pharmaceutical products, solar panels & fuel cells, with greater efficiency, new fabrics highly resistant to liquid, integrated circuits coatings on metals and display screens among others. Today, nanotechnology is among the fastest growing areas of science and technology with exponential progress being made in research and business of nanomaterials, nanoelectronics and nanomedicine. There is a good deal of excitement surrounding the progress and potential of this field of scientific and technological endeavour and concern over potential unintended risk of nanomaterials.

Nanotechnology research is presently a boom area. The rapid pace of breakthroughs in nanotechnology holds the promise of revolutionary improvements in areas such as medical diagnosis and treatment, cosmetics, military equipments, nanostructured polymers and catalysts, pharmaceutical products, solar panels & fuel cells, with greater efficiency, new fabrics highly resistant to liquid, integrated circuits coatings on metals and display screens among others. Today, nanotechnology is among the fastest growing areas of science and technology with exponential progress being made in research and business of nanomaterials, nanoelectronics and nanomedicine. There is a good deal of excitement surrounding the progress and potential of this field of scientific and technological endeavour and concern over potential unintended risk of nanomaterials.

Perhaps the major problem is not how to create and distribute it, but simply how to remove it when necessary, e.g. like hidden pollution that cannot be removed?

There has been several studies on the toxicological properties of nanoparticles. Many deleterious effects have been documented, particularly in animals. Insoluble or low solubility nanoparticles are the greatest cause for concern. Several studies have shown that some of them can pass through the various protective barriers of living organisms. The inhaled nanoparticles can end up in the bloodstream after passing through all the respiratory or gastrointestinal protective mechanisms. They can travel along the olfactory nerves and penetrate directly into the brain, just as they can pass through cell barriers. The corollary is that undesirable nanoparticles could be distributed throughout the body of exposed workers. Some of these nanoparticles have shown major toxic effects.  SEE THE PIC.

http://www.irsst.qc.ca/media/documents/pubirsst/r-469.pdf

Development and uses of technology are essential for economy, human being, and environment. Any good may not be good every time and for every one. With uses of technology, we must check and remove:

1. The negative impact of nanotechnology on health and safety of human being

2. Any component that affects the environment badly

Dear @Yogesh, thanks for introductory material. As I have read, not all nanomaterials are benign! It is risky! Some of them are very toxic! "The figure attached integrates the key risk assessment components—exposure assessment, hazard identification, and dose response (left-hand column)—with nanomaterial life cycle stages—from raw materials through commercialization and end of product life (across the top)—and the exposure-effects pathways. The concentration of nanomaterials in the environment will depend on factors such as the nature and amount of the nanomaterial released, its physical and chemical properties, and time. As depicted in blue and red in this continuum, nanomaterials released into the environment may undergo transformation by environmental conditions such as temperature and salinity, biological conditions such as habitat, and the presence of co-contaminants."

http://www.nano.gov/you/environmental-health-safety

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21027/

As always at the beginning we are full of enthusiasm, and it seems the man with the use of new solutions for existing problems will be excluded. However, after this time the euphoria comes a time in which we are able to assess the actual effects and put the benefits against the disadvantages. But it takes time and a lot of research as said Roland Iosif Moraru. Each new form, each new solution brings success and failure frequency related to this process is the risk of introduction of new technologies. Of course, it is good if at first we can exclude some of them. But only some. What was that progress in any area which, if we take into account the pros. Always, always, there is an unconfirmed possibility and probability of harm each action, if not immediately after 100 years. But it is always worth trying, and, if possible improve excluding threats.

Unintended consequences are as its tiny particles, by mistake it can part of in-take (food) easily unknowingly. This becomes very severe for children when its use go on increasing. With the fast development, if use is huge it will be cheap. Both will create environmental pollution. Through inhale and surrounding pollution it can create health hazard and through. 

I agree wholeheartedly that the environmental, health, and safety impacts of nanotechnology should not be overlooked, but nanotechnology refers to a class of diverse and often unique technologies (Replace the word nanotechnology with say 'polymers' or 'food' in the original discussion point) as opposed to a single thing - Chemical engineering often uses hazardous materials along the path to synthesising chemicals that we use routinely and are less hazardous, and some applications of nanotechnology (such as for example the nucleation and growth of CdS quantum dot nanoparticles) are similar. The impacts of each nanotechnological device or entity needs to be determined in its own right and can only occur after its created. The use of ZnO nanoparticles in sunscreens will have vastly different environmental, health and safety impacts than graphene for water filtration, for example. Each new application warrants a separate examination.

Also, it is expected that nano material characteristic can be changed using different bias voltage. The danger part of it is, in case of variation in voltage (due to whatsoever reason), it will start behaving differently.

Here is a possible answer, in the thread below,  dear Yogesh!

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Can_the_electromagnetic_signals_and_transmission_of_telecommunication_systems_be_considered_a_sort_of_environmental_pollution

http://www.crnano.org/dangers.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/opinions_layman/en/nanotechnologies/l-2/6-health-effects-nanoparticles.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/75na3_en.pdf

http://www.news-medical.net/news/2007/01/30/21628.aspx

http://rense.com/general86/nano.htm

For various reasons the development of nanotechnology is rather slow. There are a lot of problems that have to be overcome. . 

“It is important for the earliest uses of nanotechnology to be thoughtful and attractive. The public is looking for control of their lives. Could you, for example, use nanotechnology to empower people to practice healthy behaviors?”

—Thomas Murray, bioethicist and President, The Hastings Center

The three scenarios are written from the perspective of a researcher in 2015 examining the current state of nanotechnology, what the key concerns are and the pathway that led to this point.

Scenario 1 Disaster recovery A lack of regulation resulted in a major accident. Public concern about nanotechnology is high and technology development is slow and cautious.

Scenario 2 Now we’re talking Strong regulation and accountability systems are in place. The technology has been shaped by societal needs and strong health and safety concerns.

Scenario 3 Powering ahead Scientifi c progress has been faster than expected and nanotechnology is making a real impact, particularly in energy conversion and storage.

Lots of enlightening answers by Dear RG Colleagues. In fact, much debate has taken place on the implications of nanotechnology. It has the potential to create radically new materials and devices with a vast range of applications in engineering, medicine, electronics and energy production. On the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as with any introduction of new technology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials, and their potential effects on global economics, as well as speculation about various doomsday scenarios. These concerns have led to a debate among advocacy groups and governments on whether special regulation of nanotechnology is required. According to a report, many big companies working with nano-particles are not taking necessary steps to protect their staff and the safety measures used by themare making matters worse, new research suggests. Some international companies working with nanoparticles are unsure about the right way to protect staffs those handling the materials, or how to dispose of them. Global Food and Farming Union Federation emphasized the need for a moratorium on the commercialisation of nanoproducts and processes and US government’s occupational health research agency NIOSH called for strict adherence of precautionary and protective measures.

Dear YOGESH CHANDRA TRIPATHI  - thanks for posting a great query! The RG responses were very informative.. Thanks!

@Brenda, I can understand your concern over impact of nanoparticles on human health. There has been heated public debate all over the world, emphasizing the health and environmental concerns over an assessment of the potential of this new scientific frontier. Purposefully engineered nanoparticles that can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) so as to deliver medicines in a targeted and controlled way directly to diseased parts of the brain may also constitute some serious threat. Therefore, risk assessment through which new materials are evaluated for their ability to cause unanticipated harm to humans and the environment based on scientific data that measures the magnitude of the harm an individual might experience based on the size of the exposure and the biological response to that exposure, is crucial in this context

Good question and very informative answers. No one can rule out many serious or disastrous consequences of the lack of regulation and safeguards against the abuse of this technology. Extremely unfortunate consequences can include: new diseases for which there will be no treatment until their etiologies are revealed, interactions with other compounds or medications and the inability to rid the body of  nanoparticles .

While the impact of unregulated use of nanomaterials on the environment is -among other things- irreversible damage and contamination. In my opinion , the use of nanotechnology should be regulated. 

The problem is not only with the regulation, generally countries who are industrial producers have some rules even if not all mastering the impact of this technology, as it is a new one; but with the distribution of products made by nanotechnologies industries to countries who do not master the technology or are not nanotechnologies producers. How those countries could guaranteeing the safety of these products(who are in most cases of lesser quality then the original ones), and consequently the health of their citizens.

Dear YOGESH,

See the following link.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21027/

@ Sergei, Aceil & Fairouz - The relationship between science and society is an uneasy one, but it is undeniable on the whole and not something any individual can opt out of in the name of progress for humanity's benefit. Researchers are trying to learn more about how the world works at the smallest scales. While this knowledge has the potential to help others, it's possible that the same discoveries can also be used in ways that cause widespread harm. The situation today is similar to where we were with chemicals and pharmaceuticals three decades ago. The most complex and highly functional nanoscale systems have been invented by nature. Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize both our industries and way of life. They represent the key technologies of the twenty-first century, offering excellent opportunities for both research and business. It is, therefore, all involved in nanotechnology related R&D and Industry should consider the public safety and to act responsibly to protect the human health and environment

Dear Yogesh,

Not being a person who is very familiar with nanotechnology and is troubled by technology and the influence on the human to human interaction I am grateful for the question.  

I am afraid that just as in all cases the new treatments will be only affordable for the wealthy and insurance companies will delay, stall, and denies those procedures to the working middle class and the poor!

I am in agreement with Brenda and with others who were contextualizing the question from a biological point of reference.

Douglas 

It is unfortunate that, through the history of science & technology, there has been a hasty rush towards novel materials or products without a thorough study or analysis of their negative impacts (example of which are the insecticide DDT & Asbestos). Nanotechnology's train has already moved & no one can stop it. But , recently nanoparticles were detected in the livers of test animals ( i.e. the last defense lines in such creatures) & this is similar to the mercury which was detected in some fish sometime ago. How can the environment deal with the "tough" carbon nanotubes when they become wastes ? If the nanorobots become capable of self-replication, then aren't they going to spread like viruses & who will pay the cost if they become out of control ? Assuming that a nano SIM card is included in a tiny device, wouldn't that be a major help for spying & intrusion of privacy. If a nanofilm is directed to stick "more than like Super Glue" to human bodies, wouldn't  peoples of certain colors or nationalities or creeds be targeted for series of crimes to "eradicate" them ? These may seem as horrible scenarios but  (It is better to be safe than to be sorry). What precautions are there in case nanotechnology "backfires" ?

The issue of ethics in nanotechnology is very important! It is about the ethical and societal implications of nanotechnology. "No one disputes that there will be many positive benefits from nanotech, but what about the bad? Is nanotech ultimately worth the costs, like electricity and probably nuclear energy? Or is the price too high, as in the case of asbestos and DDT? If it is too high, we need to know now, not when it’s too late and already unleashed upon our world. (We  believe that a wholesale moratorium on nanotechnology research or products is likely to be both premature and an overreaction; but that doesn't mean that there are no negative effects that we can work to mitigate.)!"

Some of the negative consequences predicted for nanotechnology are health, environment, society, privacy....!

http://ethics.calpoly.edu/nanoethics/

Dear Yogesh, I don't think that the problem is with the society's interaction with science. Doing business is more close to the success of the business i.e its commercial benefits. Nanotech. industry is as well a business who could be more focused, as any kind of business, by the gains rather than ethics or public safety. No body is against science and technological  progress, but with the quality of  the business, its products and their impacts on people. The problem is more severe with non or less developed countries (who are not able to have top or qualified quality control services) and who could be addressed as market of products of weak quality.

The public perception of nanotechnology will have a major influence on the success of its new applications. Understanding the public perceptions of nanomaterials is critically important particularly for regulatory bodies. The key questions are; how do the risks and benefits of nanotechnology, as viewed by the public, compare with those associated with other technologies such as genetically modified organisms, stem cells, biotechnology and nuclear power? And when deciding to use a specific nanotechnology product, will consumers consider the risks, the benefits, or both? Moreover, profiteering companies may not sufficiently address public concerns. Engagement in the context of high uncertainty about risks and widespread lack of knowledge has added yet further complexities. Therefore, methods for understanding future public responses to nanotechnologies will need to be developed. Responsible risk communication is a widely mandated and ethically requisite element of governance. The science of risk communication also demonstrates the importance of tailoring risk messages to specific audiences, of integrating different levels of risk governance into them, and of basing them on evidence-based rather than intuitive understandings of multi-stakeholder risk and benefit perceptions. Nanotechnology has provoked great advances in empirical evidence on diverse stakeholders; yet comprehensive risk communication has not yet taken place.

A picture speaks more than 1000 words. I thank Miranda for a great explanation through a picture.

The unintended consequences of today's nano-scale technologies are mainly nano particle toxicity. These cannot be treated the same as the risks of longer-term molecular manufacturing like economic disruption, unstable arms race, etc.. It is a mistake to put them together in one basket for policy consideration - each is important to address, but they offer different problems and will require different solutions. As used today, the term nanotechnology usually refers to a broad collection of mostly disconnected fields. Essentially, anything sufficiently small and interesting can be called nanotechnology. Much of it is harmless. For the rest, much of the harm is of familiar and limited quality. Therefore, Nanotechnology Ethics Committee/Board must be framed and strict laws for molecular manufacturing must be followed so that unfamiliar risks and new classes of problems can be controlled.

You are right Dear Soham that proper regulatory norms must be in place and regulatory bodies must ensure adherence of  strict laws and ethical norms.

Very interesting question dear Yogesh, though it is not my area of expertise.

Since 2000, research initiatives on nanotechnology have intensified and discussions of potential risks. In the field of consumer protection the debate about the potential risks of nanotechnology is shaped to a major degree by the offerings and activities. The central players are R&D personals and industries. Overall, the publicity of nanotechnology very much focussed on the potential benefits of the technology. Risks are only discussed to a minor degree. However, nanotechnology is in the progress phase, which is still largely oriented towards technological progress and as yet there has been less public debate. At the same time, nanotechnology, unlike biotechnology it does not evoke any cultural associations. We have to wait and see whether a possible future case of damage or the mere reporting of risks could trigger a critical public debate.

Dear all,

I am sorry, because right now I cannot enter fully into this interesting debate, but let me share a couple of references about how this is issue is dealt with in terms of Responsible Research and Innovation:

The (US) National Nanotechnology Initiative: http://www.nano.gov/

And the Ec project Nanopinion: http://www.nanopinion.eu/en

None of them addresses the question we have here on a straightforward  way, but they give hints about it.

thanks and sorry for not going to the point

Thanks Dear Guillermo for the link of nanoforum 

You are very welcome Yogesh, I hope it is useful for the debate

Hi Yogesh,

I just returned this morning from a three weeks trip that started in Singapore, via Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam to Hong Kong with a total of nine stops covering five countries. Each stop was enough to visit the usual temples, pagodas and skilled labor workshops, but were also always accompanied by a visit to the various markets, especially those of vegetables, fruits and other raw or prepared food.

The main theme that I saw on a daily basis was that of hygiene and the exhibition of meat, fish, fresh and dried fruits (sprinkled with water unfit for consumption) and even spices.

In the light of many symptoms of diarrhea among the 1400 guest on our cruise ship, I cautiously suggest that most of our education must be focused on personal and public hygiene.  Only thereafter can we start with applying various nano-scientific analytic techniques to arrive at the bottom of many illnesses connected with the aforesaid lack of hygiene.

Nevertheless, studies should start or continue now without to wait for the educational point I made. Jan

Dear Sergey, thanks for the info. I knew about the so-called "mixing body fluids" but was ignorant about sunscreen-nanoparticles containing certain bacteria. I personally never used any sunscreen and have made the washing of my hands to some sort of repeated ritual.  I expect the same from others with whom I come in contact, but am afraid that this is too much to expect, alas.

Dear Sergei. you mention dust from deserts that carries NP. I have no knowledge of Sahara desert dust that travel over thousands of miles. However, there has been a Roman silver/copper mine in Wadi Fayun in western Jordan and this dust passes over the Dead Sea and Qumran on its shores. We have found copper and silver isotopes in bone of people buried in the 1200 man-large cemetery at Qumran. 

I am going to publish that and more in the future, although the human bone examples have already been published in our 2003 Khirbet Qumran and 'Ain Feshkha volume II, 3.

A question for you; Why many of the epidemics today commence in the Far East and Africa?. I miss to see the tourist point you made, because otherwise California should also be a source of epidemics due to the influx of Chinese and Japanese there, including the Far-East=made cars which cannot be called sterile if it concerns bacteria.

With all due respect, one cannot talk about NP research without a long discussion of what to analyze and why and how to interpret the obtained data. So, we do NOT deviate from the NP topic, in my opinion.

The subject of Nanotechnology (NP) has been studied for long time within some other chemistry fields. As any chemical substance, NP can be very harmful. I think that contemporary  regulation of chemical safety  must include one additional parameter - particle size. So, every new product that has an average particle size with NP range must pass the same tests as any new chemical composition applied in agriculture, pharmaceutical or another industry.   

Check out the link below.

Chapter Potential Environmental and Human Health Impacts of Nanomate...

Nano-medicine/Drug delivery (or molecular level understanding )

I read somewhere 3D printing of cornea ! Needed for cornea grafting ...

Flip-side cannot for see now although we the menace of Plastics !!!!!!!

Potential for small molecular level manipulation of medicine can be favorable to the environment . Long chain for adhesive and post operative healing (I am just speculating)

The origin and the initial effects of nanotechnology were, among others, the miniaturization of materials in order to find structures that at the molecular level confer in the macro better organization and resistance of materials; such as steel, carbon, decrease in size of transistors for use in telecommunications and information technology.

Also, more recently its application in the creation of molecules that facilitate and accelerate biological and physiological processes, in the manner of catalysts, small reactors and molecular motors (enzymes for example).

More recently, its application in the creation of new drugs that can be oriented towards certain tissues and introduced into tumors and malignant neoplastic cells.

Nanotechnologies in process, polymers, composites and sensors aim to improve delivery of food processing units while creating significant health benefits and improving taste, texture, consistency, and shelf-life. Thought it takes advantage of a reduction in microbial growth by corrective inclusion in nanosystems of carriers to counteract the contaminants, the uncertainties regarding the potential health risks of nano-materials are a major concern.

Source -

Article Relevance of Nanotechnology in Food Processing Industries

Very interesting and informative.

Through nanotechnology, scientists can create new foods. For instance, they can change a tomato so that the fruit can stay on the plant longer, have more taste, and not get soft quickly. The question, however, is: are such nano-technologically engineered food products really safe? May such modified types of food strengthen the bacteria that cause diseases? While people are arguing about these and other controversial subjects , nanotechnology continues to influence many aspects of everyday life.

NANOTECHNOLOGY RISKS

"Nanotechnology is remaking the world at an alarmingly rapid pace. Presently nanoproducts are being developed in a regulatory vacuum at national and international levels. As new understanding in chemistry, physics, and genetics is being reached and nano products developed and marketed, it has become imperative that future policy makers and lawyers understand the complexities and implications of nanotechnology in order to provide society with adequate insight into the issues of intellectual property, patents, and commercialization. The biggest question is how to deal with uncertainty and risk assessment in this developing discipline. In 2007, Mike Honda, a Congressional Representative from California, summed up nanotechnology uncertainty in a press statement: “Uncertainty is one of the major obstacles to the commercialization of nanotechnology—uncertainty about what the risks might be and uncertainty about how the federal government might regulate nanotechnology in the future.” Risk assessment is defined as a process intended to calculate or estimate the risk to a given target organism, system, or [sub]population, including the identification of attendant uncertainties following exposure to a particular agent, taking into account the inherent characteristics of the agent of concern as well as the characteristics of the specific target system. All new and emerging technologies pose challenges and uncertainties; in the domains of science and technology these can be addressed through additional research, but in the realm of law and regulation, immediate answers are sought. Because uncertainty must be dealt with in regulation, and in the absence of straightforward regulations, various methodologies are used to address uncertainty. One such methodology used for dealing with uncertainty in regulation is risk assessment. To illustrate some of the concerns discussed regarding nanotechnology development, as well as address the challenges of educating the next generation of scientists, engineers, and technologists about the broader issues posed by nanotechnology, a concrete example of an STS course at DeVry University will be examined..."

Article Ethical and social implications of nanotechnology

Great Question! Intriguing Contributions!!

Really Insightful.

Human will learn from effect and consequences on environment . The exact prediction will be done in future considering negative effect on ecosystem .

It is better to do prevention, rather than eliminate damage of nanotechnologies.

Of course, prediction will help to fight bad consequences in future and to reduce damages in environment.

Dr. Jacic is very much true because the usefulness of Nano particle overcomes other things Hence needed to focus on its regulation considering health aspect.

Inhaled particulate matter can be deposited throughout the human respiratory tract, and an important fraction of inhaled nanoparticles deposit in the lungs. Nanoparticles can potentially move from the lungs to other organs such as the brain, the liver, the spleen and possibly the foetus in pregnant women. Data on these pathways is extremely limited but the actual number of particles that move from one organ to another can be considerable, depending on exposure time. Even within the nanoscale, size is important and small nanoparticles have been shown to be more able to reach secondary organs than larger ones.

Source

https://copublications.greenfacts.org/en/nanotechnologies/l-2/6-ealth-effects-nanoparticles.htm