In our continuing coverage of emerging product liability issues related to carbon nanotubes, which was first reported here, we focus on the U.S. government’s call for stricter monitoring of health risks arising from the production and use of this new technology.

In 2001, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) was established as a multi-agency effort intended to coordinate nanotechnology-related activities of 25 federal agencies that fund nanoscale research.  The goals of federally funded nanoscale research are to accelerate the discovery, development, and deployment of nanoscale science, engineering, and technology to achieve economic benefits, enhance the quality of life, and promote national security.  A key research area relates to potential environmental, health, and safety (EHS) risks that may result from exposure to nanoscale materials.

The Congressional Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Congressional Nanotechnology Caucus asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on the following:

(1)        the extent to which selected research and regulatory agencies conducted research in fiscal year 2006 that primarily was focused on the potential EHS risks of nanotechnology;

(2)        the reasonableness of the processes that agencies and the NNI use to identify and prioritize federal research on the potential EHS risks of nanotechnology; and

(3)       the effectiveness of the processes that agencies and the NNI use to coordinate their research.

The GAO issued its report in March 2008 which states that in fiscal year 2006 federal agencies devoted approximately $30 million—or 2.4 percent of the $1.3 billion total nanotechnology research funding—to research that was primarily focused on the EHS risks of nanotechnology.  The report can be found here.  The GAO’s report further notes that “while the use of nanoscale materials holds much promise for the future, the small size and unique properties of nanomaterials raise questions about potential [EHS] effects . . . that might result from exposures during the manufacture, use, and disposal or recycle of nanoscale materials. For example, recent research suggests that nanomaterials are small enough to get inside cells and some may cross the blood-brain barrier to directly enter the central nervous system.”

While touting the potentially beneficial applications of nanotechnology, the GAO stated that “it is essential to consider the potential risks of using nanotechnology in concert with its potential benefits.”  The GAO recommended that the first step is to “identify what is not known about the properties of nanomaterials and what must be known about how these materials interact with our bodies and our environment.”