by | Mar 15, 2013 8:18 am | Comments (0)
Linda Sargent/NIOSH Photo
A mouse lung with alveolar bronchiolar carcinoma.
Early findings show tubes can “increase the risk of cancer in mice exposed to a known carcinogen.” Gwyneth K. Shaw reports.
by | Feb 6, 2013 11:16 am | Comments (0)
Advocacy group finds titanium dioxide nanoparticles in snack food, presses for better info from manufacturers & government. Gwyneth K. Shaw reports.
by | Oct 18, 2012 8:00 pm | Comments (0)
Different pH, different response in a study that could make understanding environmental impacts trickier. Gwyneth K. Shaw reports.
by | Oct 12, 2012 5:00 am | Comments (0)
New study finds that hot-wire slicing of polystyrene foam frees nanoparticles — loaded with a toxic chemical. Gwyneth K. Shaw reports.
by | Oct 4, 2012 2:00 pm | Comments (0)
Report recommends relying on European Union’s chemical safety law, and looking at nanoparticles on a case-by-case basis. Gwyneth K. Shaw reports.
by | Sep 28, 2012 8:00 am | Comments (0)
Toxicology & Chemistry Photo
A blue mussel after exposure to polystyrene nanoparticles.
New study wonders: What’s the implication for other marine life? Gwyneth K. Shaw reports.
by | Sep 27, 2012 11:08 am | Comments (0)
Can super-small nanoparticles be made non-toxic from birth? Gwyneth K. Shaw reports.
by | Jul 25, 2012 11:00 am | Comments (0)
(NHI Nanoblog) Democrats in the U.S. Senate are forging ahead with efforts to break a decades-old logjam and reshape the federal law governing toxic chemicals.
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Wednesday approved an amended version of the Safe Chemicals Act, which would revamp a 1976 law, the Toxic Substances Control Act. The new bill, based on legislation pushed for several years by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat, would shift much of the burden of assuring the safety of chemicals from the Environmental Protection Agency to manufacturers.
by | Jul 12, 2012 11:00 am | Comments (0)
The beads look like Tic Tacs, with the slightly springy texture of a gel cap full of medicine.
This isn’t a breath mint or a dose of Tylenol, but a new way to remove a toxin from water — and save countless lives.
by | Jul 6, 2012 12:55 am | Comments (0)
(NHI Nanoblog) Amid the latest in a long list of scientific reviews of the potential problems posed to people, animals and the environment by super-small silver particles, two Danish researchers say it’s time to stop pondering — and start regulating.
In a sharply-worded commentary recently published online by the scientific journal Nature Nanotechnology, Steffen Foss Hansen and Anders Baun make a simple point about what’s typically pitched as a complicated question about whether nanosilver should be controlled by new laws in Europe.
by | Jun 27, 2012 11:55 am | Comments (0)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will soon have a new nanotechnology safety program, thanks to language tucked into a massive legislative package that’s on its way to President Obama.
U.S. Sens. Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland, both Democrats, pushed for the program to be added during Senate debate last month. The revamped bill cleared the House last week and passed the Senate, 92 to 4, on Tuesday. Obama is expected to sign it.
by | Jun 21, 2012 2:58 pm | Comments (0)
GAO
A new audit says federal government is spending more on research exploring the potential environmental, health and safety implications of ultra-tiny materials, but needs to track projects better and offer clearer goals for how to best answer the main questions about these substances and their use in a wide variety of products.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) did the audit, tracking spending by seven of the 26 agencies involved in the National Nanotechnology Initiative between 2006 and 2010. (Click here to read it.)
The GAO found that funding earmarked for environment, health and safety, or EHS, research more than doubled over that time, from $38 million to $90 million. But auditors raised questions about the numbers, and the impact those dollars are having.
by | Jun 15, 2012 10:36 am | Comments (0)
(NHI Nanoblog) It’s become a rallying cry for some researchers who are scrutinizing the potential health and environmental effects of super-small particles: Test the products that use nanomaterials, not just the substances themselves.
A new study looking at the exposure risk of nano-enabled cosmetic powders offers a powerful validation of that argument. The researchers conclude that the hazards are different from what might be expected, given the size of the particles involved.
by | Jun 13, 2012 7:05 am | Comments (0)
(NHI Nanoblog) Does breathing in super-small particles of carbon and silica lead to the same kind of health problems caused by smoking or smog? Researchers in Ireland and the United States think they’ve found a reason to think it might.
Continue reading
‘Study Finds Nanoparticle-
Autoimmune Diseases Link’
by | Jun 12, 2012 10:01 am | Comments (1)
University at Buffalo Photo
Cadmium-selenium quantum dots in solution, glowing orange in ultraviolet light.
(NHI Nanoblog) Glowing, ultra-tiny particles known as quantum dots excite researchers and industry for a good reason: They may be groundbreaking for a wide variety of products, from medical sensors to televisions.
by | Jun 8, 2012 11:00 am | Comments (0)
(NHI Nanoblog) What happens to ultra-tiny particles when you throw them — and the products they’re embedded in — away? Swiss researchers examining one type of material found that it didn’t burn up in a waste plant, but did remain, largely intact, in the dregs left behind.
Continue reading ‘Super-Small Bits Stick Around Trash Plant’
by | May 25, 2012 12:00 pm | Comments (1)
Gwyneth K. Shaw Photo
Sunscreens with super-small versions of physical sunblockers are often labeled as “natural.”
With sunscreen season approaching, new questions have emerged about the safety of ultra-tiny particles that are becoming a common ingredient.
But barring hard evidence of danger, experts — including scientists studying sunscreen safety — have the same advice this summer: Don’t let fear stop you from protecting yourself.
by | May 23, 2012 9:58 am | Comments (0)
(NHI Nanoblog) Seeking to accelerate the pace of discovery of the risks and benefits of an evolving class of super-small materials, the National Nanotechnology Initiative is launching a special project focused on sustainable design.
by | May 16, 2012 12:30 pm | Comments (1)
Scientific Reports Photo
Commercial bread, jaggery (a type of raw sugar) and white sugar, with dispersions of carbon nanoparticles in white and UV light.
(NHI Nanoblog) Consumer and health advocates have consistently raised questions about the potential addition of ultra-tiny materials to boost the flavor, texture or freshness of food. But what if nanoparticles are already in what we’re eating?
Continue reading ‘How Long Have We Been Eating Nanoparticles?’
by | May 14, 2012 2:00 pm | Comments (0)
Gwyneth K. Shaw Photo
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State University Business Accelerator sits in a nondescript, brick and cement block building hard up against Interstate 5. There’s a view of the nearby Willamette River, but the foreground is all cars and city trappings.
The point of this stripped-down center isn’t the aesthetics. Its appeal lies in the pricetag. In this spot, start-up companies are able to slip into laboratory space on the cheap, and access business and technical advice, too.
by | May 9, 2012 11:58 am | Comments (0)
NNI Image
PORTLAND, Ore. — How do you marry the drive for innovation to the need for new — and well-paid — jobs?
A phalanx of federal officials who work on research, development and policy involving super-small materials came to the City of Roses last week to ponder that question. They were joined by people from all over the country — Utah, Oklahoma and Arizona were just a few of the home addresses — who are in the economic development and education trenches.
by | May 8, 2012 12:10 pm | Comments (0)
(NHI Nanoblog) A recent advisory report for President Obama praises the National Nanotechnology Initiative for its efforts, but gives the multi-agency project some homework, too.
Continue reading ‘Federal Nano Effort Wins Praise, Gets Homework Assignment’
by | May 3, 2012 1:30 pm | Comments (0)
Gwyneth K. Shaw Photo
PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden has been one of nanotechnology’s champions inside the U.S. Capitol. Amid the chaos of an election year and a long list of priorities, he wants to keep science research on the radar screen — with an extra eye on safety.
by | Apr 30, 2012 3:26 pm | Comments (0)
NIST Photo
With ultra-tiny silver particles turning up in everything from toothpaste to plastic food containers, researchers are eager to understand any potential impacts on people, animals or the environment. But can they get there when the substance itself is so dynamic?
by | Apr 25, 2012 12:15 pm | Comments (0)
FDA
In a move aimed at ensuring the safety of consumer products that contain ultra-tiny super-materials, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released tentative guidelines to help manufacturers of food ingredients and cosmetics stay in line with the law.