(NHI Nanoblog) The New York Times’ Dylan Walsh asks a great question: Is anyone thinking about the potential downsides to the growing field of “wired” textiles? Not really, apparently.
Walsh quotes researcher Andreas Kohler, who recently published a paper looking at the basic disposal issues for wearable wiring, including the potential for the metals woven into the fabric (including gold and copper) to get into water or soil. According to Walsh, Kohler asked some of the folks developing these textiles about safety.
“Everybody says: ‘Oh yes! That’s interesting. We should think about that. But, you know, we’re not responsible,’” Kohler told Walsh.
Walsh goes on to quote others in the industry taking a pass on the safety question. Meanwhile, the fabrics are heralded (including in the Times article that prompted Walsh’s blog post) as a big innovation, allowing people to wear everything from communications antennas to medical sensors.
There’s a disconnect there, and it has echoed throughout the world of nanotechnology and other materials sciences. The basic problem is that the people doing the innovating are rarely the same people who are thinking about the impact on people, animals and the environment. Often, it seems as if they’re working in two different disciplines. (Wonkish types would call this a “stovepipe.”)
This has the potential to create real problems, since the public generally expects safety to be part of the equation all along. The federal National Nanotechnology Initiative wants to “support responsible development of nanotechnology,” according to the safety strategy the organization released a few weeks ago. A big part of that will be closing the gap between invention and analysis.