Looking for the future? Skip the
Kennedy Space Center, Bell Labs, and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of
Technology). Search instead for nanotechnology consumer products sold on
the Internet and everywhere from Sharper Image, Brooks Brothers and L.L.
Bean stores, to Bloomingdale's, Circuit City and local Mercedes-Benz
dealerships.
Want to find out more about the consumer products which manufacturers
identify as using nanotechnology or nanoscale materials? Log on to the
nanotechnology consumer products inventory developed by the Woodrow Wilson
Center's Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies:
http://www.nanotechproject.org/consumerproducts
It's free, easy to use, and it has just been updated to include over
320 items. What products are new since the nanotechnology consumer products
inventory was first launched in March 2006?
- Food storage bags and containers available through Sharper Image which
the company claims are "infused with naturally antibacterial silver
nanoparticles."
- Bed linen sold at JCPenney guaranteeing the "ultimate nanotechnology
performance" and a "breathable sheet that's engineered to keep you cool
and comfy."
- "NANO B-12 Vitamin Spray" about which the manufacture says "your
children will love the taste, it's like candy."
- A dietary supplement that promises youth-seeking buyers "the highest
bioavailability with a first-ever nanotechnology process and advanced
levels of key anti-aging nutrients in a comprehensive formula."
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold its first public
meeting on FDA-regulated products containing nanomaterials on October 10,
2006. FDA has limited authority over regulating certain categories of
products -- including many of the products claiming to use nanotechnology
found in the Project's online inventory. For example, there is no
pre-market approval of cosmetic products or their ingredients, except color
additives.
Currently, there are about 30 products in the U.S., and a total of 58
products from around the world described in English as "cosmetics" in the
Project's nanotechnology consumer products inventory. A similar inventory
in Japan contains over 86 nanotechnology cosmetic products sold in that
country alone.
The inventory is limited to consumer products only, which are clearly
identified by manufacturers or distributors as nanotechnology-based. It
does not include industrial uses or applications of nanotechnology.
About Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the ability to measure, see, manipulate, and
manufacture things at an atomic and molecular scale, usually between 1 and
100 nanometers. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. The head of a pin
is 1 million nanometers wide.
The market opportunity for nanotechnology is substantial.
Nanotechnology was incorporated into more than $30 billion in manufactured
goods in 2005 -- more than double the previous year. In 2014, Lux Research
projects that $2.6 trillion in global manufactured goods will incorporate
nanotechnology, or about 15 percent of total output. The U.S. invests
approximately $3 billion annually in nanotechnology research and
development, which accounts for approximately one-third of the total public
and private sector investments worldwide.
The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies is an initiative launched by
the Wilson Center 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 http://www.nanotechproject.org
