NANOTECHNOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Project - Canadian Stewardship Practices for Environmental Nanotechnology
Client - Environment Canada (EC)

Description - Nanotechnology is often referred to as the next industrial revolution and touted to have the potential to create a wide range of innovative applications. At the same time, it is presenting threats for health and the environment. So far, nanotechnology has evaded political and regulatory scrutiny, but the potential risks associated with nanoparticles are becoming a central cause for concern and the subject of much public debate. Against this background, Environment Canada selected Science-Metrix to undertake a study of the environmental dimensions of nanotechnology. The study examines current research in nanotechnology related to environmental applications, includes a comprehensive review of world strategies and policies to reconcile stewardship issues associated with the development of nanotechnologies, and proposes recommendations to help Environment Canada in targeting environmental applications, maximizing benefits, and minimizing the potentially negative impacts generated by nanotechnology developments.

Environmental applications of nanotechnology include the utilization of engineered nanoparticles and nanomaterials to create a new generation of sensors with enhanced capabilities for detecting and monitoring pathogens and pollutants, for treating contaminated water, soil and air, and for enabling green technologies to eliminate or decrease harmful emissions and waste from industrial processes ? including the development of clean energy sources. However, some of these nanoparticles seem to pose a threat both to health and to the ecosystem. For instance, nanoparticles could produce free radicals and oxidative stress, induce DNA damage and gene alteration increasing the incidence of cancer. These nanoparticles have been found to be highly toxic in rat lungs, to accumulate in animal organs, affect macrophage and defensive cells, and to be transferably from mother to foetus; they can induce brain damage in fish and could travel along nerves and circumvent the blood-barrier; they could alsotravel through the soil and could be absorbed by earthworms. While carbon nanotubes induce air pollution by aggregating in the air and forming toxic nanocrystals.

Good stewardship practices focusing on environmental nanotechnology are fairly rare. In US, nanotechnology policies consist mainly in federally and state-controlled initiatives with very diverse objectives and which coexist with independent initiatives. Asian policies are aimed at developing industry and generating economic benefits leading to concrete and rapid national advancement, and increased international competitiveness. Nanotechnology policies developed by the European Union differ greatly from these two positions and appear to have struck a balance between the opportunistic approach of developing the industrial and commercial applications of nanotechnologies, and visions focusing on the social rather than the economic returns. Based on its analysis, Science-Metrix has proposed recommendations which include the creation of a multifunctional research center devoted to the environmental and social dimensions of nanotechnology, the setting up of a grant program to support scientists working in environmental nanotechnology, the establishment of institutions and a task force to monitor nanotechnology development, to assess issues raised by nanotechnology, to evaluate Canadian nanotechnology policies and to study the evolution of public attitudes towards nanotechnology. It is recommended that an index of potentially harmful nanoparticles and their associated standard operating procedures should be built, and advisory committees to establish standards, guideline and legislation should be set up to protect human health and the environment.

STUDY REPORT

	Bergeron S. and Archambault É. 2005.
	Canadian Stewardship Practices for Environmental Nanotechnology. Prepared for Environment Canada (EC) by Science-Metrix, 72 pages.
	[PDF] - Executive Report [PDF] - Full Report