Quote of the day

RR: In your opinion, what should be done to mitigate (if not eliminate) the potential downsides to MNT, as well as to maximize the potential upsides?

D. M. Berube: Study, study, and study some more. Involve the public, social scientists, and humanists. Vet the claims. Debunk the foolishness. What is needed is the Center for American Technological Preparedness as specified in the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act. Regulators need to use the broad expertise of all the actors noted above to promote safe and effective nanotechnology applications. Personally, I would expect something (like) the Kefauver Amendments to the Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Act applied to nano-products. If coupled with an invigorated Occupational Safety and Health Administration. And a rediscovered Consumer Product Safety Administration. This tripartite may serve as a basis for a regulatory regime for processes and products. Manufacturing might demand a heightened liability regime matched with more standards regulatory structures, such as treaties and agreements.

Read our entire interview here

D. M. Berube is Professor of Rhetoric and Communication Studies, University of South Carolina