Wiesner, guest on Radio In Vivo
February 24, 2012
CEINT's director, Mark Wiesner, was recently interviewed by Ernie Hood on Radio In Vivo, a weekly science radio program that features interviews with scientists in the North Carolina Research Triangle.
In January 2012, the National Academy of Sciences published a report titled, "A research strategy for environmental, health, and safety aspects of engineered nanomaterials." The report states that, "the nanotechnology sector which generated about 225 billion dollars in product sales in 2009 is predicted to expand rapidly over the next decade with the development of new technologies that have new capabilities. The increasing production and use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) may lead to greater exposures of workers, consumers and the environment and the unique scale specific and novel properties of the materials raise questions about their potential effect on human health and the environment."
Nanomaterials are currently manufactured in applications of medicine, electronics and consumer products ranging from sunscreen to socks. In an effort to avoid the negative human health and environmental lessons learned from technologies such as DDT and Freon, the scientific community is looking proactively to identify the implications of engineered nanomaterials.
Wiesner, a member of the committee that wrote the report, provides an in-depth review of the current state and outlook of engineered nanomaterials. Listen to the podcast to hear Wiesner's take on the risks of engineered nanomaterials.