Nanotechnology

Waiter, There's a Newfangled Technology in My Soup

Increasingly, the coatings that keep supermarket produce fresh-looking and the chemicals used in pesticide-intensive farming are incorporating nanotechnology. Nanomaterial residues in coated produce that could potentially fail to be washed away by consumers have been reportedly imported into the United States. What are the potential health, worker safety and environmental risks?

Nano-pesticides and your health: Tell EPA to act!

Advancements in science sometimes boggle the mind. Take nanotechnology, for example. Researchers can now manipulate material at the atomic level to add various properties to new foods, plastics or consumer products. They can make products lighter, softer, or better able to retain moisture. There are now an estimated 1,300 products on the market that use Engineered Nanomaterials (ENMs).

What's wrong with a little nano-titanium dioxide on your oranges?

Nanotech holds lots of promises: products that are stronger, lighter and longer lasting; food packaging that can detect, and more effectively resist, bacteria. All of this amazing potential has industry chomping at the bit—already, 1,300 products now on the market claim to implement Engineered Nanomaterials (ENMs) in some way. The problem?

Racing Ahead: U.S. Agri-Nanotechnology in the Absence of Regulation

This IATP report examines food and agricultural applications of nanotechnology, such as coatings used on fruits and vegetables to preserve shelf life, and details possible hazards to human health and the environment if they are marketed without pre-market safety assessment and post-market surveillance.

Radio Sustain: June 1, 2011

In this edition of Radio Sustain we talk to Mindi Schneider about her latest report examining the industrial transformation of the massive pork industry in China, and Steve Suppan about the use of nanotechnology, its increasing prevalence in products and food, and why its huge potential may be causing "regulatory paralysis" in the U.S. and abroad.

Nanotech organic?

The idea that engineered nanomaterials (involving the manipulation of materials at the molecular level) would be allowed in certified organic food production seems ludicrous on its face. Allowing nanotechnology would seemingly destroy the credibility of the organic label with consumers.

Comment to the Federal Register on U.S. Federal Organic Agriculture Standards and Nanotechnology

IATP submitted this comment to the Federal Register on U.S. Federal Organic Agriculture Standards and Nanotechnology: The National Organic Standards Board Materials Committee Guidance Document—Engineered Nanomaterials in Organic Production, Processing and Packaging.

Food safety on the cheap

While billions of dollars are invested each year by food and agriculture companies in developing new technologies, only a small fraction is invested in ensuring food safety, writes IATP's Steve Suppan in the latest issue of the Global Food Safety Monitor.

Nanotech and the oil spill

As BP and government agencies struggle to stem the devastating flow of oil now hitting the Louisiana coast, there is growing desperation to find a solution—and fast. Green Earth Technologies, Inc.

Appropriate tech, safe chemicals and the state of nanotechnology

The power of new technology is undeniable. If adopted blindly, however, technology can carry with it a multitude of risks: to health, the environment or to a broad range of sociopolitical considerations. In the latest episode of Radio Sustain, we assess the potential and pitfalls of new technology.