Social, Environmental and Ethical Impacts of Nanotechnology

Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 2011

Curr Sci, 2009

The present article attempts to understand the debate over nanoscience and nanotechnology regarding its potential benefits to the society. One view in this debate is that nanoscience and nanotechnology has a revolutionary potential and will have significant economic benefits, while the other view is skeptical about its potential in the context of ethical, legal, social and environmental (ELSE) issues and values such as equity and justice. In some developed countries, discussion on the ELSE issues of nanoscience and nanotechnology has already begun. Hence, there is a need to take a cue from the debate in the developed countries and focus our attention on these issues in the Indian context. The ELSE issues should be addressed right from the beginning of the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, so that it is possible to make informed policy decisions.

Clinical laboratory science : journal of the American Society for Medical Technology, 2010

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 1. Relate how nanotechnology and its advent have impacted our views of the future. 2. Explain environmental concerns about nanotechnology. 3. Address environmental protection issues, and regulatory agencies that are responsible. 4. Describe how nanotechnology is evident in our present society and where it can go in the future. 5. Summarize the changes that are coming, as a result of nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology talk is moving out of its comfort zone of scientific discourse. As new products go to market and national and international organizations roll out public engagement programs on nanotechnology to discuss environmental and health issues, various sectors of the public are beginning to discuss what all the fuss is about. Non-Governmental Organizations have long since reacted; however, now the social sciences have begun to study the cultural phenomenon of nanotechnology, thus extending discourses and opening out nanotechnology to whole new social dimensions. We report here on these social dimensions and their new constructed imaginings, each of which is evident in the ways in which discourses around nanotechnology intersects with the economy, ecology, health, governance, and imagined futures. We conclude that there needs to be more than just an ‘environmental, legal and social implications’, or ‘ELSI’, sideshow within nanotechnology. The collective public imaginings of nanotechnology include tangles of science and science fiction, local enterprise and global transformation, all looking forward towards a sustainable future, while looking back on past debates about science and nature. Nanotechnology is already very much embedded in the social fabric of our life and times.

NanoEthics, 2011

Nanotechnology is developing far faster than our understanding of its effects. This lapping of our understanding by speedy development is typical of new technologies, and in the United States we let development occur, introducing new artifacts into the world, without any serious attempt to understand beforehand their effects, long-term or short-term. We have been willing to pay the price of pushing the technological envelope, but pushing the nanotechnological envelope has some special risks, requiring more caution.

—Nanotechnology has turned into the recent scientific lingo and swift innovation in this field are significantly impacting the courses in which we conceptualise the future and human capacity to control matter at the nuclear and atomic levels, by offering undreamt promises for scientific innovations. Since the merging of nanotechnology with biotechnology, data innovation, subjective science discipline has crafted and hold guarantee for the change of human enactment at various levels, hence 'social and ethical issues' turns into a repeating expression in the scientific group. Hence stakeholders paying consideration on nanotechnology innovation with a vital question: whether nanotechnology is demonstrating ethically and socially unique issues or the ethical and social issues are related to nanotechnology like other innovative technologies. The present article endeavours to comprehend the discussion over nanotechnology with respect to its potential advantages and the threat to the society. One view in this discussion is that nanotechnology has a progressive potential and will have huge financial advantages, while the another view is wary about its potential with regards to ethical and social issues and values, for example, equity and social justice. Finally, an attempt is made to find the variance in the societal and ethical issue in both, those who want to promote it and those who have fears about its potential. Thus this write-up adds the level headed discussions by investigating foundational issues about the relationship of ethics and nanotechnology.

2009

2008

Nanoethics, or the study of nanotechnology's ethical and social implications, is an emerging but controversial field. Outside of the industry and academia, most people are first introduced to nanotechnology through fictional works that posit scenarios���which scientists largely reject���of self-replicating ���nanobots��� running amok like a pandemic virus (Crichton, 2002).

Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale. Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly up to 100 nanometres. Nanotechnology is the creation of useful materials, devices, and systems through the manipulation of matter on this miniscule scale. The emerging field of nanotechnology involves scientists from many different disciplines, including physicists, chemists, engineers, and biologists. Nanoparticles fall into three major groups: natural, incidental, and engineered naturally occurring nonmaterial's such as volcanic ash, ocean spray, magnetotactic bacteria, mineral composites and others exist in our environment. Incidental nanoparticles, also refered to as waste particles, are produced as a result of some industrial processes. The third category of nanoparticles is engineered nanoparticles-these are the particles associated with nanotechnology. Nanotechnology concerns dealing with environmental and health implications and regulatory compliance encompass practicing areas for these technical individuals. The role of nanotechnology in the field of environment and health is positive but improper handling and regulation of above type of nanoparticles and nanotechnology sometimes cause serious harm to the environment as well as on human health. They cause environmental degradation in respect of change in qualities of environment by mixing of particles and affect the health of human beings like cancer and other harmful diseases. The purpose of this technology is to figure out the science and to protect human health and our environment.

Iranian journal of public health

Nanotechnology is considered as an industrial revolution of the third millennium. Advances have a remarkable impact on different fields such as medicine, engineering, economy and even politics. However, a wide range of ethical issues has been raised by this innovative science. Many authorities believe that these advancements could lead to irreversible disasters if not limited by ethical guidelines. Involvement of developing countries in new fields of science could be associated with substantial advantages. In this paper, we intend to review main ethical issues of nanotechnology, taking into account the surge of interests in this field and the ever-increasing advances of nanotechnology in Iran. The issue of safety, considering environmental and ecological impacts of nanoparticles (smart dust), and standards of customer awareness are important debates. The 'Grey-goo' scenario and the concerns about 'post-humanism' are also discussed by bioethicists. There are further concerns about justice, intellectual property rights, accountability, and the probability of military and security misuse.

The Second ISA Forum of Sociology (August 1-4, …, 2012

This communication discusses the partial results in the field of sociological research to nanotechnologies applied to foods and biofuels, recognizing the essential elements for the development of indicators of risk and regulatory marks that really can protect health and the environment. The analysis focuses on the study of social and cultural impacts resulting from new interactions arising from the socio-technical advances and promises of nanotechnology. The publicity of these advances and, especially, their promises have resulted in the development of expectations and beliefs within the scope of the multifaceted social imaginary. The new steps of nanotechnology are introduced in the dimension of the fantastic and lead to continuous interpenetration between the discoveries and predictions in this field and the so-called science fiction. The same way that the promises of nanotechnology spark the creativity of fiction, many of the marvels envisioned by these are already part of our daily lives or are part of the promises taken for granted. The risks involved in nanotechnology align, then, among those assigned to the current developments, the promises that are given to the industry, those hazards that can be apprehended through laboratory tests and the risks that agents attribute to it.

2018

Since a significant time ago, although time runs very fast, nanotechnology transformed from one of the most promising scientific hopes in uncountable human domains into a marvelous certainty. Innumerable scientific studies in several areas of knowledge were made since nanoscale emergence, carrying their contribution to the nanoscience development, leading to a great development of technical and scientific knowledge but also raising numerous problems in the ethical field. In this chapter, nanotechnology is discussed both in terms of ethics and in terms of borders that nanotechnology applications must satisfy and concluding notes are presented, highlighting the results of the analysis. Significant considerations are made on the close connection between ethics and the nanotechnology and the effects over the society and values.

[Nippon kōshū eisei zasshi] Japanese journal of public health

Nanotechnology is developing very quickly, and Japan is in many respects leading the world in this convergence of nanoscale engineering techniques. The public health community in Japan must start to think about the public health impacts of nanotechnology over the next 20 years. The responsibility for the beneˆts and the harms of nanotechnology lies with government, with corporations and the business community, with scientists and specialists in all relatedˆelds, and with NPOs and the public. There are very many questions of public health which are not yet being asked about nanotechnology. If nanoparticles are to be used in cosmetics, food production and packaging, how will they react or interact with the human skin and organs? What chemical-toxic eŠects on life might there be from the nanoparticles in car tires and vehicle plastic mouldings when they are disposed of by incineration? Will they pass into the soil and groundwater and enter into the food-chain? It is now an urgent ethical demand, based on the precautionary principle, that Japan join the governments of the world to take an intergovernmental initiative to intervene in the further development, production and marketing of nanotechnological products with precautionary research and regulation.

In this presentation, I propose to examine the possible ethical and environmental implications of engineering and handling nanomaterials, both for the chemical engineers involved in the production of these materials and for the environment in which these materials are often dispersed. I will discuss the various uses of nanotechnology in industry and commerce, as well as the health and environmental effects of exposure to nanoparticles. Since I am a philosopher, I will also reinforce the ethical imperative to be cautious with regard to the manufacture and use of nanotechnologies, as well as the principle that should be adopted when creating laws and policies to regulate the production and use of nanomaterials.

Revista romana de bioetica

Nanotechnology is a field that we often hear of its name nowadays. Altough what we know about it is soo poor, we admire this field of technlogy, moreover some societies even argues that nanotechnology will cause second endustrial revolution. In addition, nanotechnology makes our basic scientific knowledge upside down and is soo powerfull that it is potent in nearly every scientific field. Thereby, it is imposible to say that nanotechnology; which is soo effective on human and human life; will not cause social and ethical outcomes. In general, the definition of nanotechnology is the reconfiguration of nanomaterials by human; there also are different definitions according to the history of nanotechnology and different point of views. First of all, in comparison to the other tehnology fields, what is the cause of excellence of nanotechnology, what human can do is to foresee the advantages and disadvantages of it, what are the roles of developed and developping countries for the progres...