Assessing Nanotech Risks

Here are two new, lengthy documents discussing the risks of emerging nanotechnologies:

The Project On Emerging Nanotechnologies, a Washington D.C. based institute, released Nanotechnology: A Research Strategy for Addressing Risk.  Kevin Bullis at Technology Review writes about it in his blog today: TR Blogs: Averting a Nano Tragedy.  Here's an excerpt from the report's abstract:

[The report] proposes for the first time a comprehensive framework for systematically exploring nanotechnology’'s possible risks. The report moves beyond a general call for more nanotechnology risk research to recommend how this research should be prioritized and implemented— -- who should do what, when, and how.

The report argues for a top-down strategic research framework within the U.S. federal government. It recommends a shift in leadership and funding to federal agencies with a clear mandate for oversight and for EHS research, and proposes a major increase in U.S. government spending over the next two years on highly relevant, targeted risk-based research to address critical research needs.

Link: Nanotechnology: A Research Strategy for Addressing Risk.

The Australian chapter of Friends of the Earth devotes the current issue of their magazine, Chain Reaction, to Nanotechnology risks.  From the editorial introduction:

It’s vital that we always question the bigger picture objectives of nanotechnology’s development when considering the potential for net social or environmental gain - nanotechnology’s development has so far been driven by corporate and military interests, and there is no indication that (without robust civil society intervention) its future path will be any different. [...]

[Governments] and corporations have so far failed to address pressing public interest issues surrounding nanotechnology. Ethical problems, the risks posed by nanotoxicity, socio-economic disruption and the erosion of democracy have to date been trivialised or ignored. Already firmly committed to nanotechnology, governments have been largely reluctant to initiate public engagement programmes; the little government communication on nanotechnology that has taken place has been firmly geared towards overcoming public resistance. Awareness about nanotechnology remains very low within both the general public and within many civil society organisations whose activities are directly affected by nanotechnology.

This issue aims to introduce the main issues surrounding nanotechnology, provide a brief overview of the key problems it raises, and serve as a call to action for its democratisation.

Link to pdf of the magazine: Friends of the Earth: Chain Reaction #97. (Via the pro-nanotech Center for Responsible Nanotechnology blog.)

I haven't read these yet, and am not very familiar with either Friends of the Earth or the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies.  At first glance they both look like high-quality contributions without a lot of spin.