The Japanese government becomes the latest to open the can of worms marked safety of nanotechnology with a study to evaluate the safety of materials produced using nanotechnology.
We, and we suppose anyone who has seen the panoply of nanotech related products available in Japan, would take issue with the statement that It is the first time for the government to examine the social influence of a new technology before it goes into practical use.
It is however encouraging that many of these health and safety studies are becoming international in scope, with researchers in Europe already building strong links and sharing information with their counterparts ion Japan and the United States. This reflects not only the global nature of technology, but also the global nature of both risk and legislation.