Nano-Risks

1
Nano-Risks

• Ben Philbert Cannon

2
Why the concern

• Initial contact
• Interesting aspects
• Future plans

http//www.imdb.com/title/tt0145487/
3
Seminar Outline

• Miracles
• Health Risks
• Environmental Concerns
• Social Impact
• Possibilities
• Conclusion

4
Look what we can do!Products
http//www.forbes.com/newsletter/2006/01/10/apple-
nano-in_jw_0109soapbox.inl.html http//www.voyle.n
et/Nano20Products202005/Main20Products2020052
0.htm
5
Look what we can do!Medical Advancements
http//www.foresight.org/Nanomedicine/Gallery/inde
x.html http//www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0606
/feature4/gallery5.html
6
Concept Molecular Manufacturing

• Desktop nanofactories will use molecular raw
  materials to build complete atomically precise
  products

http//www.lizardfire.com/html_nano/nano.html
7
Toxicity of Ultra-Fine Particles

• Surface area to volume ratio
• Smaller particles are more reactive
• Platinum
• Smaller molecules are more toxic
• Carbon Black

Nanotechnology Risks Ethics and Law Hunt
Mehta ed. 2006
8
Health Risks

• Nanoparticles
• Fixed
• Free

---- Stable Not much worry ---- Mobile
object of concern

• Blood-brain barrier
• Overloaded phagocytes
• Arterial disease
• Free radicals cellular damage apoptosis
  genotoxicity
• Protein folding errors

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NanotechnologyRisks_
from_nanoparticles Nanotechnology Risks Ethics
and Law Hunt Mehta ed. 2006
9
Health Risks
10
Environmental Issues

• Nanoparticles
• Released into the ecosystem during production and
  as byproduct
• Nanoproducts
• Eventually thrown away or recycled

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Environmental Issues
Thus the first replicator assembles a copy in
one thousand seconds the two replicators then
build two more in the next thousand seconds the
four build another four and the eight build
another eight. At the end of ten hours there are
not thirty-six new replicators but over 68
billion. In less than a day they would weigh a
ton in less than two days they would outweigh
the Earth in another four hours they would
exceed the mass of the Sun and all the planets
combined - if the bottle of chemicals hadnt run
dry long before.

• Uncontrollable Nanoreplicators

• G r e y G o o

• Grey goo scenario isnt an imminent danger
• Distant technology
• More desirable methods
• Eventually intentional use possible

Drexler Engines of Creation (1986). In Chapter
4 Engines Of Abundance http//www.crnano.org/BD-G
oo.htm
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Societal Implications

• Time to check that nanofactory!!!

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Societal Implications

• Weapons
• Improvements Innovations
• Surveillance
• Intelligence Privacy
• Economic Shifts
• Traditional exports replaced

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NanotechnologySociet
al_risks
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Societal Implications

• Corporate Control
• Patenting of Matter
• Monopolies
• Nano-hype
• Pressure to forgo RD
• Now All nano sells
• After one accident Nano is evil

http//www.ieee-virtual-museum.org/collection/even
t.phpid3457012lid1 http//en.wikipedia.org/wik
i/NanotechnologySocietal_risks
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Options

• Ban nanotechnology development
• Stunt human advancement
• Live without possible solutions to global
  problems
• Impose no regulations on manufacturing
• Possible catastrophic accidents
• Unimpeded races for superior technologies
• Responsible balance of caution and risk
• Progress towards a better future

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Efforts

• NNI National Nanotechnology Initiative
• CRN Center for Responsible Nanotechnology
• FDA Nanotechnology Task Force
• Nanotechnology Now
• Foresight Nanotech Institute

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Conclusion

• These are the years when the world changes into
  the world it is going to be for future
  generations.
• We must be sure it changes into something we want
  it to be.

http//www.imdb.com/title/tt0145487/
18
Sources

• http//www.imdb.com/title/tt0145187/
• http//www.forbes.com/newsletter/2006/01/10/apple-
  nano-in_jw_0109soapbox.inl.html
• http//www.voyle.net/Nano20Products202005/Main2
  0Products20200520.htm
• http//www.foresight.org/Nanomedicine/Gallery/inde
  x.html
• http//www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0606/featur
  e4/gallery5.html
• http//www.lizardfire.com/html_nano/nano.html
• Nanotechnology Risks Ethics and Law Hunt
  Mehta ed. 2006
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NanotechnologyRisks_
  from_nanoparticles
• Drexler Engines of Creation (1986). In Chapter
  4 Engines Of Abundance
• http//www.crnano.org/BD-Goo.htm
• http//www.ieee-virtual-museum.org/collection/even
  t.phpid3457012lid1
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NanotechnologySociet
  al_risks

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The End