Hearing Held into Nanotechnology Initiative Reauthorization - AzoNano, Australia
As a step towards the reauthorization of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), the House Science and Technology Committee held a hearing today to review the program and proposed draft legislation. As the Committee of jurisdiction, the body has held many hearings throughout this and past Congresses to improve the program in an effort to maintain the U.S.’s competitive lead in nanotechnology.

Silver tongues: Regulators are looking more closely at nanotechnology claims - The Economist, UK
Silver can be made into a far more potent bactericide. Companies have quickly seized on this idea to produce a wide variety of products, from clothes to soap and even chopsticks, containing silver nanoparticles. The claim is that they destroy germs. But silver can also accumulate in the environment and, at certain levels, prove toxic. Nor is the general safety of nanoparticles fully understood, not least because they can react in novel ways.

Are multi-walled carbon nanotubes more like asbestos than we thought? - Environmental Defense, USA
A new study suggests that the analogy may be even stronger than we thought: It may extend to the capacity to cause mesothelioma, the rare form of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos. Researchers developing and using multi-walled carbon nanotubes, especially for applications that could yield long-term exposures, such as incorporation into hip prostheses, need to proceed with extreme caution and carefully assess the potential for carcinogenicity from their devices.

A Silver Coating in the Fight Against Microbes - ScienceLine, USA

Researchers have made paint that is embedded with silver nanoparticles, known for their ability to kill bacteria and other microbes, in the hopes that hospitals will coat their walls and countertops to fight infection.

However, some scientists are concerned that silver nanoparticles may not be as harmless as they appear. Little research has been done on their health and environmental effects, and silver kills good microorganisms along with the bad. Also, there are currently no restrictions on using silver nanoparticles, which are already popping up in a range of consumer products that tout their antibacterial properties.

Companies fail to apprise investors of potential nanotechnology risks - NanoWerk, USA
The Investor Environmental Health Network today released a report that demonstrates that sectors affected by product toxicity risks are doing a poor job of informing shareholders of market risks they face due to toxic chemicals in their products. The report specifically addresses the situation for companies dealing with nanomaterials by noting that manufacturers are not disclosing the evidence of health risks of nanotechnology products, nor the lack of adequate product testing prior to their sales.

Europe Spends Nearly Twice as Much as U.S. on Nanotech Risk Research - The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, USA
The new PEN assessment of nanotechnology risk-relevant projects identified by the federal government’s National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) for fiscal year 2006 found that only $13 million was invested in projects highly relevant to addressing possible risks. Over the same time period, the PEN analysis found European countries invested nearly $24 million in projects with the primary aim of addressing nanotechnology risks.
Both the U.S. government figure and the results of the PEN assessment show that less than 3 percent of the $1.4 billion federal nanotechnology research budget was spent on environment, health and safety research.”

Tiny weapons, huge hopes in the fight against cancer - The Boston Globe, USA
Nanoparticles may detect, treat disease. The federal government is investing nearly $145 million in the quest. Still, the research must solve a host of medical and engineering riddles demanding the expertise of cancer doctors, as well as chemists, electrical engineers, and computer scientists. Formidable obstacles exist before nanoparticles can be used widely in the detection and treatment of cancer.

Engaging the Scientific Community With the Public - Science Progress, USA
Public engagement changes people. The public gains knowledge, shares expertise, and reflects on how much risk society is willing to accept to realize the promise of emerging technologies. Less appreciated, but perhaps even more significant, is the expectation that scientists who enter into public engagement should see their knowledge and attitudes change, too. This is the real mark of successful public engagement: Rather than insisting upon the public’s deeper appreciation and understanding of science, its primary goal is scientists’ deeper understanding of the publics’ preferences and values.

History tells us we need better oversight of nanotech facilities - Mercury News, USA
Residents who live next to a nanotech facility or consumers of nanotech products should know that current environmental and health laws won't protect them. We must learn our lesson from history's playbook. We need the industry to be monitored and regulated to protect our health and the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency must not "grandfather" nanotechnology in under archaic regulations.

Nanotechnology: Balancing revolution and risk - Medill reports, USA
While new applications for medicine could save lives, the ethical impact of human enhancement could make people uneasy.
“With any new technology, the question emerges: should you tamper with nature?” Zoloth asked. “Because the nanoscale makes things possible that have never been made possible before. The intervention into nature, for some people, is a problem.”