Industrial News: June 2009

Call to regulate nanotechnology

The ANF is joining unions, academics and Members of Parliament in calling for urgent regulation to protect workers from the risks of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is the use of materials at a very small or ‘nano’ scale.

Nanoparticles are measured in nanometres. A nanometre is one billionth of a metre or about 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair.

The use of nanomaterials is relatively new and rapidly growing. Nanomaterials are used in items including sunscreens, cosmetics, bed sheets, building materials and paints. They could also have considerable use in the provision of healthcare including in the production of medical devices, potential applications in surgery, disease diagnosis and therapy, and in devices for drug delivery.

Materials act in a different way when they are in a very small form compared to when they are larger. This is why nanotechnology is being developed, as it allows the development of new products. As our knowledge of how nanoparticles work is only in formative stages, much research remains to be done, including their effects on the human body. As nanoparticles can be inhaled or absorbed through skin, we need to know whether such particles can pose a problem for human health. A recent study published in Nature Nanotechnology by researchers from the University of Edinburgh/MRC Centre for Inflammation Research in Scotland found that a material known as multi-walled nanotubes shares some of the same characteristics as asbestos fibres. When mice were exposed to nanotubes, they experienced the same physical reaction as asbestos fibres in the lungs.

Given the inadequate understanding of the effects of nanoparticles, governments should regulate as if nanomaterials were dangerous to human health. Existing regulations which deal with the assessment of new chemicals and products were not designed for assessing nanomaterials, so new regulations are needed. A recent NSW Parliamentary committee recommended that products containing nanoparticles be labelled. A registry of when and where nanomaterials are being made, used and imported is also needed.

Asbestos was touted as a wonder material a century ago, and its use continued for decades despite known lethal health risks. Governments should act now to ensure the same does not occur with the inadequately understood technology of working with nanoparticles.

Andrew McCarthy
ANF Federal Industrial Officer

Reference:
Poland, C., Duffin, R., Kinloch, I., Maynard, A., Wallace, W., Seaton, A., Stone, V., Brown, S., Macnee, W., and Donaldson, K. 2008. Carbon nanotubes introduced into the abdominal cavity of mice show asbestos-like pathogenicity in a pilot study. Nature Nanotechnology 3, (2008):423-428