(NHI Nanoblog) In a recent story, The New York Times’ Andrew Martin described the developing controversy over the safety of triclosan, which is the chemical backbone of scores of antibacterial consumer products. The debate — over a substance that’s been used for decades — raises questions about the safety of more than just this one ingredient.
According to the Times story, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is studying triclosan, which some studies suggest can disrupt the human endocrine system. As with a number of other controversial chemicals, such as Bisphenol A, or BPA, the evidence on triclosan isn’t definitive, which generally leads to standoffs between manufacturers, government regulators and advocacy groups.
While it’s not a perfect comparison, there are parallels with the ongoing effort to study — and perhaps regulate — a broad range of ultra-tiny nanomaterials. Like triclosan, some of these super-small substances, from sun-blocking nano-sized titanium dioxide to antimicrobial nanosilver, are already in consumer products. And there are questions about the long-term effects of some of these materials, which are being considered by the FDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, depending on the ingredient.
Nanotechnology leverages super-small particles (a nanometer is a billionth of a meter) to create products with remarkable properties. These materials can make bike frames lighter and stronger and sunscreen more transparent on the skin, as well as new medical instruments and medicines that can save lives.
There is broad agreement that nanomaterials have lots of potential for a wide variety of applications. But shrinking these substances can change their properties; scientists are struggling to figure out whether, how and why that shift can make them dangerous in the process.
As with triclosan, there’s a sense of limbo with some nano-products, as the science struggles to catch up with the fast pace of innovation and marketing. Stuck in the middle are consumers, left wondering what’s safe and what’s not.