Slow federal action to oversee nanotechnology leaves 'room at the bottom' [1] - Nanotech Project, USA

[2]

State and local governments often have adopted trailblazing initiatives to address environmental, health and safety concerns in advance or in lieu of federal action. With nanotechnology, an emerging field of science with unknown risks, this practice is continuing, a landmark study has found. In regard to oversight of nanotechnology, Berkeley, CA, has taken the lead by adopting an ordinance that requires handlers of nanomaterials to submit toxicology reports on the materials to the city.

Elected officials in Cambridge, MA, and Madison, WI, have also begun to look at similar reporting mechanisms.