January 13, 2007

At a bare minimum, before approving nanotechnology particles of any sort for sale, distribution or release into the environment (including plant materials containing nanotechnology particles grown in experiments), the government MUST require that companies prove that those particles cannot (1) penetrate a person's skin or (2) penetrate a person's body through breathing or ingestion. 
This is a new area, and there is a lot of money riding on this and a lot of pressure that will be applied by companies wanting to get products on the market.  But first and foremost is "DO NO HARM." The cost of proving the safety on humans, other mammlas and the environmentmust be on the inventor (not taxpayers). The physical, social and financial cost of a mistake is miniscule compared to the upfront cost of requiring companies to prove a product's safety.