Is nanotechnology headed for controversy?

It may be that nanotechnology, which holds promise in packaging applications where extended shelf life is required, will begin to attract the kind of scrutiny that genetically modified crops are getting.

Pat Reynolds

Jan 13, 2010

Judging by an item in greenshootnews.com, the use of nanotechnology may be in for some investigating. The use of nanotechnology in packaging is typically aimed at extending shelf life. But some are now calling nanotechnology a “successor” to crops that are genetically modified. The controversy is sure to attract advocates both for and against. Greenshootnews.com has this from Sue Davies, a chief policy advisor in the UK: "We must fill in the significant gaps in our knowledge about how nanomaterials behave in the human body to ensure that there are no safety concerns in this rapidly developing area."