Texas is taking steps to make sure it
stays in the forefront of development for the budding nanotechnology
business, but the industry needs to address consumer concerns if it's going
to succeed in the marketplace, said former Texas Sec. of State Geoff
Connor.
"That confidence will be based on the knowledge that these new products
have been made safe," said Connor, who's now a lawyer in private practice
in Austin. "Consumer confidence will be a paramount concern," he said.
During the current rapid growth phase, companies are relying on
in-house testing of the nanomaterials and processes used in manufacturing,
pharmaceuticals and electronics.
The particles are near-molecular in size, measuring only a few
billionths of a meter.
Connor said the cigarette and automotive industries demonstrated the
need to establish independent standards and testing protocols.
Already, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued guidelines
for handling some silver waste materials, as a first regulatory step by the
government.
"The governor of Texas has an enterprise fund and an emerging
technology fund to identify cutting edge industries," said Connor, "and
Texas will spend money to lure companies and train workers."
But Connor said the industry must assure worker and consumer safety,
and that such assurances shouldn't come from in-house laboratories.
"As a general rule," said Connor, "third-party testing inspires more
consumer confidence than if companies do it themselves."
The alliance between Texas State University, through its Nanomaterials
Application Center, and a Houston startup company, nanoTox, is a "great
thing," Connor said.
"The university's objective is thorough work -- its reward is to be
regarded as an academic institution of excellence."
Connor said the alliance between the university and nanoTox will foster
the best and most highly regarded testing standards and protocols. He said
a company doing its own testing could have different priorities, and their
data might not be trusted by consumer and industrial safety groups.
Connor pointed to Texas A&M's involvement over the years in developing
safety, testing, and inspection standards for manufacturers and chemical
companies in the agricultural industry.
NanoTox is a Texas corporation dedicated to testing, characterization
and standardization of nanomaterials and potential risks they pose to
people, animals and the environment. Visit the company's Web site at
http://www.nanotox.com
