Dr. A. Rouzie
English 308J
10 February 2009
Nanotechnology
Imagine. You wake up one morning and roll out of bed. You walk over to the window and open the blinds. You can tell by the haziness that it is going to be another hot and humid day. You walk to the closet and pick out a thin shirt with tiny antennas all over it to help keep you cool. You don’t notice the antennas though because they are 80,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair (“US Experts”). You walk outside to go to work and get into your hybrid car. The car is also covered in these tiny antennas. In fact, the car has been charging up all night due to these antennas. You turn on the car and the engine starts. You plug in your cell phone and it starts charging with the heat being generated by the engine which has a tiny layer of these antennas as well. You finally make it to the office and you walk in. You notice that the temperature is cool and you don’t feel the heat and humidity that you felt outside even though there is no air conditioner. This is because the walls are also covered in these antennas that are being used to cool the room. You turn on the lights and you start up the computer on your desk. All of the electricity that is being consumed is coming from the antenna covered roof tiles that are on top of your building.
The previous story may seem a little farfetched, but according to Steven Novack, a physicist at the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho, it could be in the near future (“Nanoantenna”). They have created in the lab, flexible sheets of plastic with nanoscale antennas made of silicon substrate that can do all of the previous mentioned things. The antennas on the sheets, which only cost about $1 per square foot, pick up heat that is radiated from the Earth (even at night) as infrared light (“Nanoantenna”). The antennas are not like normal solar cells in that they function by using the wave properties of light. They are also more efficient than traditional solar cells. Normal solar cells are approximately 12% to 20% efficient while the antennas are about 50% efficient (“Nanoantenna”). These antennas could someday be used to generate not only electricity, but could also be used as a cooling system. Just as the antennas absorb infrared light from the Earth, they can also absorb heat from our bodies and rooms (“Nanoantenna”).
What exactly is nanotechnology (or nanotech) anyway? According to Mark Myers and Andrew Gurwood, nanotechnology is defined as “the engineering and manufacturing on the nanometer scale”. What exactly is a nanometer? A nanometer is defined as one-billionth of a meter. Since most people can’t imagine a size that small it helps to give a comparison. The article “Nanotechnology” gives a good comparison and says “comparing a nanometer to a meter is like comparing a marble to the size of the Earth”. According to Brad Kenney nanotechnology is expected to reach $2.6 trillion in services and products in the next 6 years. It sounds like that weird word “nanotechnology” could in the near future become a little more common.
Despite this proposed benefit and many others, many scientists and environmentalists as well as numerous other people feel that nanotechnology is harmful to people and the environment and as a result are calling it “nanopollution” (“Implications”). Nanopollution is defined as the “waste generated by nanodevices or during the manufacturing of nanomaterials”. “Free” particles can be released into the air during the production of materials or as a byproduct (“Implications”). According to the article “Implications of Nanotechnology”, the small size of the particles means that they could float in the air unnoticeable. They could then get into the water supply and soil as well as penetrate the cells of both plants and animals causing harmful effects that aren’t even known yet. The small size of the particles often causes them to behave differently than larger versions of the particles. For instance, carbon nanotubes are not the same as regular carbon (“US Experts”). Some feel that these particles could also function as a means of transportation for other harmful substances (“Implications”).
Even when the particles aren’t “free”, but part of a manufactured good they still can propose a problem. One example would be that silver particles are being woven into fabric to serve as odor neutralizers and being put on bandages to make them resist bacteria (Johnson). According to Johnson, it has been discovered that these particles can leach out of the fabric during washing and end up in the water supply. The Environmental Protection Agency has already begun trying to regulate the use of silver particles in products (“US Experts”). They are requiring that all manufactures using silver nanoparticles provide evidence that their products aren’t harmful to the environment. However, it has already been proved that silver (in a larger form) is harmful to aquatic life so it is probably going to be a difficult task to prove it is safe. (“US Experts”). It has also been shown that silver nanoparticles may destroy the bacteria needed to break down the organic material at water treatment plants (“Nanotechnology”). Another example of a harmful manufactured good would be “buckyballs”, also known as carbon-60, which are nano sized particles that are used for coatings and other materials. It has been found that these particles can penetrate the cells of animals making them toxic to all organisms (“Nanotechnology Risks”). According to “Nanotechnology Risks: How Buckyballs Hurt Cells” it is believed that the particles get into a cell and change the way that it functions. A recently published study has found that carbon nanotubes are as harmful as asbestos if enough of it is inhaled (“Nanotechnology”).
An especially large concern right now to environmentalists and others is how these goods made of nanoparticles will be disposed of. It is unclear how these particles will break down in the environment once the product is thrown away as waste (“Implications”). It is difficult to know if the particles can be removed from the soil, water and air once they are deposited there. Currently, we do not have filters that are fine enough to remove particles that small (“Implications”).
Despite the proposed harmful effects of nanotech many feel that there are more benefits than risks. In the pharmaceutical industry, for instance, drug makers are looking into nano-engineered drug reformulations (Kenney 32). These reformulations would not only benefit the companies producing the drugs, but the patients taking the drugs as well. For instance, according to Kenney, over time cancer drugs stop working because the cancer patients become immune to the drugs. After a drug reformulation the drug would start working in the patient’s body again (32). Nanotech is also being used to find ways in which to give medication to patients so that it targets the affected area only; practically eliminating the risk of side effects (Myers). They are also using nanotech to develop contact lenses that are resistant to bacteria and fungus (Myers).
Nanotech is not only changing the pharmaceutical world, but the manufacturing world as well. A company in Akron Ohio named Ecology Coatings has been putting nanomaterials in their paint to create products with an extremely long shelf life of several years or so (Kenney 32). In fact the biggest market for nanotech right now is in the development of coatings of different sorts. A few examples include window treatments that reduce ultraviolet ray penetration and paint that resists mildew in high moisture areas (Kenney 32). Nanotech is also being used to develop “clean tech” products as well. For instance, nanoengineered lithium ion batteries are now being used in General Motors’ hybrid vehicles (Kenney 34). Many companies are also developing nanoparticles that can be used to refine heavy crude oil into crude that burns cleaner (Kenney 35). Researchers at the University of Arkansas have recently made nano wires that can be woven into fabric to make it resistant to fire (Myers).
Given the above, it would appear that nanotechnology has many proposed benefits, but like many other things it may have some risks as well. It is definitely necessary to do further investigation into what exactly these risks are and how they are going to affect the environment. The first step we need to take is to fund better programs that can explore and test the risks of nanotechnology. It is clear that we can see some of the benefits right now, but what kinds of problems will we see in the future if we don’t act now? That is unclear as of now. Until further research is done to assess the implications of nanotech, it needs to be regulated. Agencies need to be put together and brought in to help determine what regulations are needed. The second thing we need to do is find ways in which to dispose of nanoparticle waste. It is alarming that we have created this waste and don’t know how to get rid of it. At this stage though, until we do further research, it would appear that the benefits are outweighing the risks.
Work Cited
“Implications of Nanotechnology.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 5 Jan. 2009.
1 Feb. 2009
Johnson, Colin R. “Nanoparticles leaching into environment.” EE Times. 10 Apr. 2008.
1 Feb. 2009
Kenney, Brad. “NANOTECH: The Next American Revolution?” Industry Week/IW
256.10 (2007) : 30-35.
Myers, Mark D., Andrew S. Gurwood. “Is Nanotechnology The Next Frontier In Eye
Care?” Review of Optometry 143.8 (2006) : 62-72.
“Nanoantenna Sheets Harvest Energy.” Science Friday. National Public Radio. New
York. 22 Aug. 2008.
“Nanotechnology.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Feb. 2009. 2 Feb. 2009
“Nanotechnology Risks: How Buckyballs Hurt Cells.” Science Daily. 27 May 2008.
9 Feb. 2009.
“US Experts Call For Tighter Controls on Nanotechnology.” Space Mart. 28 Nov. 2006.
9 Feb. 2009.
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