Nanotechnology presents potential opportunities to create better materials and products.
Already, nanomaterial-containing products are available in U.S. markets including coatings,
computers, clothing, cosmetics, sports equipment and medical devices. A survey by EmTech
Research of companies working in the field of nanotechnology has identified approximately 80
consumer products, and over 600 raw materials, intermediate components and industrial
equipment items that are used by manufacturers (Small Times Media, 2005). A second survey
by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars lists over 300 consumer products (http://www.nanotechproject.org/index.php?id=44 or
http://www.nanotechproject.org/consumerproducts). Our economy will be increasingly affected
by nanotechnology as more products containing nanomaterials move from research and
development into production and commerce.
Nanotechnology also has the potential to improve the environment, both through direct
applications of nanomaterials to detect, prevent, and remove pollutants, as well as indirectly by
using nanotechnology to design cleaner industrial processes and create environmentally
responsible products. However, there are unanswered questions about the impacts of
nanomaterials and nanoproducts on human health and the environment, and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or “the Agency”) has the obligation to ensure that
potential risks are adequately understood to protect human health and the environment. As
products made from nanomaterials become more numerous and therefore more prevalent in the
environment, EPA is thus considering how to best leverage advances in nanotechnology to
enhance environmental protection, as well as how the introduction of nanomaterials into the
environment will impact the Agency’s environmental programs, policies, research needs, and
approaches to decision making.
Already, nanomaterial-containing products are available in U.S. markets including coatings,
computers, clothing, cosmetics, sports equipment and medical devices. A survey by EmTech
Research of companies working in the field of nanotechnology has identified approximately 80
consumer products, and over 600 raw materials, intermediate components and industrial
equipment items that are used by manufacturers (Small Times Media, 2005). A second survey
by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars lists over 300 consumer products (http://www.nanotechproject.org/index.php?id=44 or
http://www.nanotechproject.org/consumerproducts). Our economy will be increasingly affected
by nanotechnology as more products containing nanomaterials move from research and
development into production and commerce.
Nanotechnology also has the potential to improve the environment, both through direct
applications of nanomaterials to detect, prevent, and remove pollutants, as well as indirectly by
using nanotechnology to design cleaner industrial processes and create environmentally
responsible products. However, there are unanswered questions about the impacts of
nanomaterials and nanoproducts on human health and the environment, and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or “the Agency”) has the obligation to ensure that
potential risks are adequately understood to protect human health and the environment. As
products made from nanomaterials become more numerous and therefore more prevalent in the
environment, EPA is thus considering how to best leverage advances in nanotechnology to
enhance environmental protection, as well as how the introduction of nanomaterials into the
environment will impact the Agency’s environmental programs, policies, research needs, and
approaches to decision making.
