�The inability of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to carry knocked out its mandate with respect to simple, low-tech products such as children's jewelry and toy trains bodes poorly for its ability to supervise the safety of complex, high-tech products made exploitation nanotechnology, according to a new story released by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN).
Two nanotech products under the jurisdiction of the CPSC are existence used in the Olympic Games in Beijing - a geminate of running shoes and a swimsuit. The products can be found in PEN's consumer product inventory (http://www.nanotechproject.org/inventories/consumer/), which immediately contains more than 800 manufacturer-identified, nanotechnology-enabled items.
"The means lacks the budget, the statutory authority and the scientific expertise to assure the hundreds of nanoproducts now on the securities industry, among them baby bottleful nipples, babe teething rings, paints, waxes, kitchenware and appliances, are safe. This problem will only exacerbate as more than sophisticated nanotechnology-based products begin to enter the consumer market," argues E. Marla Felcher, world Health Organization teaches at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and is the generator of the report, The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Nanotechnology. The theme is available at: http://www.nanotechproject.org/n/CPSC/.
The CPSC is charged with protecting the public against unreasonable risks of combat injury or end associated with consumer products. More than 15,000 consumer goods fall under the CPSC's jurisdiction, including toys and baby products, sports equipment, fitness equipment, home improvement and garden equipment, clothing, appliances, electronics and computers. The consumer product inventory maintained by PEN indicates that nanotechnology has already found its way into every unmatchable of these product categories.
"During the strike of 2007, many Americans faced a hazard in their products that had been prohibited for 30 years - lead. As millions of children's toys coated with lead paint were recalled, it became clear that government lapse had failed, and that the CPSC, the means primarily responsible for the oversight of these toys, was stretched too thin from long time of disuse, underfunding and the challenges posed by an increasingly global manufacturing system," says PEN Director David Rejeski. "It is against this background that we need to expect the head: Is the CPSC adequately prepared to deal with nanotechnology, which is now associated with more than 800 manufacturer-identified consumer products ranging from infant pacifiers to paints to appliances to clothing?"
The release of PEN's new report comes on the heels of the united States President signing legislating that eliminates lead in toys and either for good or temporarily bans half a dozen types of phthalates in children's products, which are under the CPSC's jurisdiction. Phthalates ar a full family of chemicals primarily used to make vinyl group soft and flexible and are launch in thousands of products including toys, garden hoses, wiring and cables, construction materials, flooring, automotive interiors and medical devices.
Felcher's report identifies many similarities betwixt the issues raised by phthalates and nanomaterials: many of the same products that contain phthalates ar now being made with nanomaterials (e.g., infants' pacifiers and teething rings); both phthalates and nanomaterials can enrol the human body through multiple pathways, such as the lungs or digestive tract; and jurisdiction over phthalates in the United States, like jurisdiction over nanomaterials, is spread over multiple agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food & Drug Administration.
But despite these similarities, phthalates and nanomaterials dissent in two important respects, Felcher says. First, phthalates have been the guinea pig of thousands of scientific studies documenting their effect on the health of animals and humans - some demonstrating a link between the chemicals and decreased spermatozoan count and sexual malformation in boys - while little is known around possible chronic hazards associated with nanomaterials. Second, nanomaterials are scientifically far more diverse than phthalates, increasing the complexness involved in understanding their toxicology.
"It took decades of research before lawmakers base the political will to keep lead and phthalates out of toys. It could take a identical long time to inquiry and secure that potentially dangerous nanomaterials are unbroken out, to a fault," says Rejeski.
The new PEN report includes a number of recommendations Felcher believes will help the CPSC to ameliorate its supervising of nanomaterials in consumer products, including:
Building the CPSC's nanotechnology knowledge base and expertness.
Identifying companies and industries that are currently fabrication nanoproducts and request that they submit research studies, risk assessment data and any data they possess that will enable the CPSC scientists to assess nanoproduct base hit.
Urging Congress to remedy the Consumer Product Safety Act to give the CPSC the authority to require manufacturers to name any nanomaterials in their products.
Encouraging Congress to adopt a section Consumer Product Safety Act measure recommended by the National Commission on Product Safety in its 1970 Final Report, which would consecrate the CPSC the authority to promulgate safety standards for "new" consumer products based on new and emerging technologies, including nanotechnology.
About Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the ability to measuring stick, see, manipulate and manufacture things ordinarily between one and 100 nanometers. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter; a human hair is close to 100,000 nanometers wide-cut. In 2007, the ball-shaped market for nanotechnology-based products totaled $147 billion. Lux Research projects that figure will grow to $3.1 billion by 2015.
The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies is an initiative launched by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and The Pew Charitable Trusts in 2005. It is dedicated to helping business, government and the public previse and wield possible wellness and environmental implications of nanotechnology. For more data about the project, log on to http://www.nanotechproject.org/.
The Pew Charitable Trusts (http://www.pewtrusts.org/) is a national charitable organization helping the world interest by informing the public, forward policy solutions and supporting civic sprightliness. Based in Philadelphia, with an office in Washington, DC, the Trusts invested $248 gazillion in financial year 2007 to offer organizations with fact-based research and practical solutions for challenging issues.
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is the living, national memorial to President Wilson established by Congress in 1968 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Center establishes and maintains a neutral forum for free, open, and informed dialog. It is a nonpartizan institution, supported by world and private funds and engaged in the study of national and international affairs.
Source: Julia Moore
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
More info
