Introduction - Nanotechnology and the Environment - page 8

table . (Continued)
Public Perceptions Regarding nanotechnology based on opinion Polls

Population
sureyed

knowledge of
nanotechnology Year Perception of Risk other Findings Ref.

2007 1014.adults.in.

U.S.

Approx..70%.had.
heard.just.a.little.
or.nothing.at.all.
about.
nanotechnology.

Roughly.half.of.the.
respondents.were.
not.sure.whether.
the.beneits.of.
nanotechnology.
would.outweigh.
the.risks;.those.
who.had.greater.
knowledge.of.
nanotechnology.
believed.more.
strongly.in.its.
beneits.

In.general,.the.group.of.
people.with.little.or.no.
knowledge.about.
nanotechnology.included.
women,.older.adults,.
adults.with.a.high.school.
degree.or.less,.and.adults.
with.lower.incomes.

[17]

the.potential.risks.of.nanotechnology.do.not.seem.to.be.slowing.the.race.to.bring.
nanotechnology.products.to.the.marketplace.

. about this topic
This.topic.seeks.to.demystify,.as.much.as.is.possible.based.on.the.current.state.of.
the.science,.the.occupational.and.environmental.concerns.about.intentionally.manu-
factured. nanomaterials.. To. provide. context. for. that. discussion,. it. begins. with. an.
explanation. of. nanoscale. materials,. their. properties,. and. their. uses,. and. describes.
the.processes.used.to.manufacture.nanoscale.materials..Subsequent.chapters.provide.
information.on.possible.risks.to.human.health.and.the.environment.and.on.develop-
ing.regulations.to.manage.those.risks..The.penultimate.chapter.of.this.topic.exam-
ines.an.apparent.paradox.given.concerns.over.the.possible.risks.of.nanotechnology:.
the.use.of.nanoscale.materials.to.remediate.environmental.pollution.
This.organizational.structure.—.describing.the.manufacture.of.nanoscale.mate-
rials,. considering. their. usage,. and. following. those. materials. through. various. dis-
charges. to. points. of. exposure. to. gauge. the. consequences. of. exposure. —. parallels.
the.process.of.Life.Cycle.Analysis.(LCA)..The.inal.chapter.of.this.topic.discusses.
frameworks.such.as.LCA.for.evaluating.the.balance.between.risk.and.reward,.and.
presents.brief.examples.
This.topic.offers.a.snapshot.of.a.rapidly.developing.ield..It.presents.the.current.
state. of. the. science. and. identiies. critical. areas. undergoing. further. research.. Even.
such.fundamentals.as.deinitions,.classiication.schemes,.and.understanding.of.the.
properties. of. nanoparticles. are. evolving.. Intensive. research. into. many. aspects. of.
the.behavior.of.nanoparticles.in.the.environment.and.biological.systems.continues,.
and.thus.the.information.presented.in.this.topic.represents.an.initial.framework.for.
understanding.nanotechnology.and.the.environment..A.later.edition.of.this.topic,.if.