Comments on: New laws needed for nanotech safety?

A former EPA official says nanomaterial regulations are needed to help protect health and environmental safety.

[jason.shaffer]

Government Oversight

Since when does the lack of government oversight hinder consumer confidence? Isn't the government's role usually to get in the way of the consumer?

[ajbright]

Not oversight but self regulation

I agree, but there does need to be a decent level of self regulation to prevent unintentional polution of the environment.

[yrrahxob]

Government regulation?

If the government gets involved in regulating research on nanotechnology, we might as well just stop all research because the rest of the world will have it all figured out by the time our government gets through trying to figure out what the researchers all trying to accomplish in the first place. I doubt very seriously if there are more than 2 or 3 people in the entire EPA that even knows what nanotechnology is but the EPA sure wants to regulate it. Of course this is to be expected since as we all know, if someone comes up with a great idea but the powers that be don't understand it, then they[the government] must regulate it or even suppress it.

[ajbright]

Your comments make sense

but as I said in my other reply, we do need some sort of self-regulation to prevent the unintentional polution of the environment.

Nanotechnology is probably one of the most exciting new sciences out there right now, but what we don't need is the same fiasco that is prevent things such as stem cell research from being used to it's full potential.

Inane beliefs that un-fertilised eggs are the beginning of life (if that's the case, why isn't having a period considered a mass abortion?) has led to the rest of the world moving ahead of the US, and in some cases in a less than morally correct direction.

Unfortunately for the world at large, because the US is about the only country that has a decent level of government sponsorship for sciences, this also means many cures for things like cancer and aids are not being found, or will take much longer to find.

So the last thing we need is the same backward policies restricting US innovation in something as important as nanotechnology.

Regulation should always be a last resort, not even considered until self-regulation has been found untrustworthy.

[Blito]

Maybe a nanotech or 'small particle' org

There is also great concern for materials that could be invented even smaller then nano like subatomic that could take on properties of mind control etc. I think a 'Small Particle' standards organazation should be formed.
If people are afraid of government bias even with the U.N. an impartial group could be formed.