The Ec Proposes A Common Definition For Nanomaterials ! http://newish.info/97131-the-ec-proposes-a-common-definition-for-nanomaterials
EU defines nanomaterials in bid to assess health risks
* Nanomaterials seen having potential uses in food, other goodsBy Johanna SomersBRUSSELS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The European Union’s executive published a definition of nanomaterials on Tuesday, a move that will help regulators identify whether such ultra-fine particles — whose risks are still largely unknown — are present in food and consumer goods.The definition will allow EU regulators to draw up a list of products that contain nanomaterials in order to carry out risk assessments, though products would remain on the market while analysis was carried out, one EU official said.”These products could well be a threat or a benefit. This depends on a case by case basis,” said Willem Penning, head of risk assessment at the European Commission’s health and consumers department.European consumer organisation BEUC said products containing nanomaterials should be proven safe before being allowed onto the EU market.”There is a knowledge gap, but for the moment people are being exposed to nano-products,” said Monique Goyens, Director General of BEUC.Nanoparticles behave differently to larger particles and can be easily inhaled through the lungs and enter the blood stream and blood cells, said Peter Gehr, a professor at the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Berne and head of a steering group on the opportunities and risks of nanomaterials.Nanoparticles have been found inside human organs such as the brain, nose, lungs, skin and gastrointestinal tract, Gehr said, but their impact once inside these organs is not yet clear.BACKLASH FEARSThe Commission’s definition of nanomaterials included particles between one and 100 nanometres in diameter. Around three hundred million particles each 100 nanometres wide could fit onto the head of a pin.The particles have a variety of potential uses, for example creating foods with the same taste but lower fat, salt or sugar levels, or better packaging that keeps food fresher for longer and alerts consumers if the contents have gone off.But experts have said manufacturers could be reluctant to use nanomaterials in their products, due to fears of a similar consumer backlash that greeted genetically modified foods in Europe.”The goal of the industry, they do not want to poison their clients, this is very sure,” Penning said.But Goyens argued that companies have in the past said that their products are safe before scientific research later proved otherwise, citing examples such as asbestos.”They (industry) want to maximise profits,” she said.Environmental campaigners complained that the Commission’s definition was too narrow, and many products would avoid EU risk assessment as a result.”The European Environmental Bureau is deeply disappointed by the Commission’s decision to use a narrow definition for the term ‘nanomaterial’, indicating that industry lobbying has won over the Commission’s own scientific advisors,” the EEB said in a statement.
EU defines nanomaterials in bid to assess health risks
* Nanomaterials seen having potential uses in food, other goodsBy Johanna SomersBRUSSELS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The European Union’s executive published a definition of nanomaterials on Tuesday, a move that will help regulators identify whether such ultra-fine particles — whose risks are still largely unknown — are present in food and consumer goods.The definition will allow EU regulators to draw up a list of products that contain nanomaterials in order to carry out risk assessments, though products would remain on the market while analysis was carried out, one EU official said.”These products could well be a threat or a benefit. This depends on a case by case basis,” said Willem Penning, head of risk assessment at the European Commission’s health and consumers department.European consumer organisation BEUC said products containing nanomaterials should be proven safe before being allowed onto the EU market.”There is a knowledge gap, but for the moment people are being exposed to nano-products,” said Monique Goyens, Director General of BEUC.Nanoparticles behave differently to larger particles and can be easily inhaled through the lungs and enter the blood stream and blood cells, said Peter Gehr, a professor at the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Berne and head of a steering group on the opportunities and risks of nanomaterials.Nanoparticles have been found inside human organs such as the brain, nose, lungs, skin and gastrointestinal tract, Gehr said, but their impact once inside these organs is not yet clear.BACKLASH FEARSThe Commission’s definition of nanomaterials included particles between one and 100 nanometres in diameter. Around three hundred million particles each 100 nanometres wide could fit onto the head of a pin.The particles have a variety of potential uses, for example creating foods with the same taste but lower fat, salt or sugar levels, or better packaging that keeps food fresher for longer and alerts consumers if the contents have gone off.But experts have said manufacturers could be reluctant to use nanomaterials in their products, due to fears of a similar consumer backlash that greeted genetically modified foods in Europe.”The goal of the industry, they do not want to poison their clients, this is very sure,” Penning said.But Goyens argued that companies have in the past said that their products are safe before scientific research later proved otherwise, citing examples such as asbestos.”They (industry) want to maximise profits,” she said.Environmental campaigners complained that the Commission’s definition was too narrow, and many products would avoid EU risk assessment as a result.”The European Environmental Bureau is deeply disappointed by the Commission’s decision to use a narrow definition for the term ‘nanomaterial’, indicating that industry lobbying has won over the Commission’s own scientific advisors,” the EEB said in a statement.
Researchers build an antenna for light
digitaldownloadnow.infoArticle by at 2011-07-10 17:28:28
Categorized in Tech News,
Researchers have derived inspiration from the photosynthetic apparatus in plants to engineer a new generation of nanomaterials that control and direct the energy absorbed from light.
Scientists discover novel way of making carbon nanotubes
A team of researchers comprised of scientists at the Center of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, and at Harvard University, US, have shown through computer simulations a novel technique for generation nanomaterials. The whole process revolves around the extremely simple idea of twisting narrow graphene nanoribbons until they become rolled up into carbon nanotubes, which are 20 times stronger than steel and offer a diverse array of high-tech application – truly one of the most marvelous materials developed by scientists in the past few decades.
The Printing Press of the Nanoscale
Gutenberg, be warned. The coolness of your contribution to the act of creating copies is being surpassed by a new generation of printing that’s happening on scales spanning just billionths of a meter. Printing materials no wider than a human hair takes special equipment, and we’ve got some of it here at Brookaven, housed in our Center for Functional Nanomaterials.
Brookhaven Lab physicist Aaron Stein specializes in electron beam lithography (EBL), a technique that uses advanced machinery to draw nanoscale patterns into a wide range of materials. He says:
“There’s overlap, certainly, but comparing e-beam lithography to computer printers only tells part of the story. For starters, the “paper” we use could be glass, silicon, or something much more exotic. While the electron beam behaves a bit like a pen, it reacts differently with each of our materials —sometimes in very unexpected ways. Paper and ink don’t exactly have surprising and uncharted chemical reactions. But the biggest difference, I think, is that after our process, we have fine-tuned nanostructures with real, measurable functions—the nanostructures are far from just being 2D images.”
These functional nanomaterials help produce advanced electronics, x-ray-focusing lenses, and even probe nanoscale magnets that could lead to denser data storage in the future. Stein says, “We aren’t looking at the kinds of devices that you find in the store, but everything we do has some application on the horizon. The distance of that horizon certainly changes, but it’s always there.”
Want to get more technical? Check out our longer article: 10 Questions With Aaron Stein.
Innovative Ways to use Nanotechnology in Medicine
Nanotechnology in Medicine, Nanotechnology Innovative Ways, Nanotechnology, Nanomaterials, Disease imaging, Repair of injured or damaged tissues, Lab on a chip and bio sensors, Disease treatment, nano-materials proteins, proteins lipids DNA, Nanotechnology novel tools Read at Innovative Ways to use Nanotechnology in Medicine
The Verge: Aerographite becomes the lightest material ever produced
theverge.com
Researchers have created a new material they’re calling “Aerographite” that has taken the crown of “world’s lightest material” away from the micro-lattice structure that previously held it back in November. With a density of only 0.2 mg/cc, the substance is comprised of 99.99 percent air — though a large piece of it looks like a black, opaque sponge. Aerographite consists of a “seamless interconnected network of closed shell micro tubes” and reportedly can be compressed by a factor of a thousand before springing back to its original shape. Interestingly, it’s also conductive, which the research team from the Hamburg University of Technology and University of Kiel note opens up possibilities in the technology space. MEMS, electrical shielding, and even batteries.
