My esteemed (and allegedly cute) colleague Dexter Johnson comments on a number of recent nanoparticle toxicity projects and wonders what is the point of them. I’ve often asked the same question (and been asked to leave the room as a result), but there does seem to be a weird academic bias towards reviews and public consultation and I think I …
A Rational Debate on Australian Nanotech? – No Chance, Mate!
The Australian branch of Friends of the Earth, who really really hate nanotechnology, yes really, and will do anything they can to stop it (despite not being quite sure what it is) are threatening apoplexy, tantrums and running naked through the streets of Canberra painted blue as a result of the Australian Governments decision to have a “Nanodialogue on Nanotechnology …
Another Boring Swiss Risk Report
There must be something in the water in Switzerland this year. Hot on the heels of the International Risk Governance Council‘s rather pointless report comes another missive from TA-Swiss (Schweizerische Akademie der Technischen Wissenschaften) looking at nanofood. The TA-SWISS study concludes that people with certain “nutritional styles” could actually be open minded about food containing additives produced by nanotechnology. Even …
Nanosafety – The Same Old Story
The “International Risk Governance Council,” a Geneva based organisation “whose purpose is to help the understanding and management of global risks that impact on human health and safety, the environment, the economy and society at large” sent me their latest deep thoughts on Risk Governance of Nanotechnology Applications in Food and Cosmetics today, and it proved a rather interesting read. …
Indigestion and Frustrated Phagocytosis
A Teeny Wafer Thin Nanotube Sir? The big news while I was on my transglobal sabbatical was that Ken Donaldson and Andrew Seaton have finally proved that long nanotubes produce the same kind of indigestion (or frustrated phagocytosis) in macrophages as a seven course meal in a great restaurant such as Grenoble’s l’Escalier sometimes causes in me. Richard Jones blogs …