Washington - ?There is no doubt that nanotechnology has the potential
to make the world a better place,? said Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
Chief Scientist Andrew Maynard. ?But if consumers and other stakeholders are
not convinced that the benefits outweigh the risks, many applications will
not see the light of day. Likewise, if the benefits are unclear and the
risks uncertain, the products of nanotechnology will be a hard sell.?
Dr. Maynard?s remark is in his presentation today before a public
meeting of the President?s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
(PCAST). He spoke as part of a panel devoted to addressing and managing the
potential health, environmental and safety risks of nanotechnology.

?Nanotechnology is turning our world upside down... It also is shaking
up our understanding of what makes something harmful and how we deal with
that,? according to Maynard. He described the current U.S. policy toward
managing the possible health and safety risks of nanotechnologies as
?approaching 21st century technologies with a 20th century mindset.?

Maynard called on the federal government to develop a goal-driven risk
research strategy to provide decision-makers - including regulators,
industry and consumers - with the scientific information they need to help
develop and use nanotechnologies as safely as possible. He suggested an
international approach to this challenge based on a set of strategic
research questions developed by thirteen top scientists last year which were
published in the journal Nature.

The paper, ?Safe handling of nanotechnology? (Maynard et al., Nature,
vol. 44, 16 November 2006), was praised as a ?landmark in the history of
nanotechnology research? by the then chair Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and
ranking member Bart Gordon (D-TN) of the U.S. Congress?s House Science
Committee. In a statement about the paper?s findings, the Congressmen said
they both had made it clear that they felt ?the Administration was moving
too slowly in preparing and funding a research agenda in this area [of
nanotechnology risk research] when a sense of urgency was needed.? Two
co-authors of the paper, University of Rochester?s Gunter Oberdorster, and
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences? (NIEHS) Sally Tinkle,
also made presentations at the PCAST meeting.

In his remarks, Maynard proposed a significant increase in research
funding for agencies responsible for oversight and related research - the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA),
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National
Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH), and the Consumer Product
Safety Commission (CPSC). He called for creation of a better decision-making
and coordination mechanism among government agencies to implement a
strategic federal risk research plan for nanotechnology and to lead
government-industry research partnerships in this area. He noted that
government-industry models like the Health Effects Institute, developed to
address automobile pollution, could be leveraged for nanotechnology risk
research.

Maynard also suggested that America?s competitive edge and continued
world leadership in nanotechnology require a sound and innovative risk
management plan. He gave examples of other countries who are taking an
integrated approach to nanotechnology implications and commercial
applications research.

Contact
Sharon McCarter
202-691-4016
sharon.mccarter@wilsoncenter.org

Maynard?s presentation, along with his 2006 report, Nanotechnology: A
Research Strategy for Addressing Risk, are available online at
www.nanotechproject.org. For a complete agenda of the PCAST meeting, see:
[www.ostp.gov].

About Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the ability to measure, see, manipulate and
manufacture things usually between 1 and 100 nanometers. A nanometer is one
billionth of a meter; a flea is roughly 1 million nanometers wide. More than
$30 billion in nanotechnology products were sold world-wide in 2005. By
2014, Lux Research projects that $2.6 trillion in manufactured goods will
incorporate nanotechnology - about 15 percent of total global output.

The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies is an initiative launched by
the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and The Pew Charitable
Trusts in 2005. It is dedicated to helping business, government and the
public anticipate and manage possible health and environmental implications
of nanotechnology. For more information about the project, log on to
www.nanotechproject.org.



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