Nanotechnology: Risk, Ethics and Law (The Earthscan Science in Society Series)

Nanotechnology - Technology At The Molecular Level - Is Held Out By Many As The Holy Grail For Creating A Trillion Dollar Economy And Solving Problems From Curing Cancer To Reprocessing Waste Into Products And Building Super Fast Computers. Yet, As With Gmos, Many View Nanotech As A High Risk Genie In A Bottle That Once Uncorked Has The Potential To Cause Unpredictable, Perhaps Irreversible, Environmental And Public Health Disasters. With The Race To Bring Products To Market, There Is Pressing Need To Take Stock Of The Situation And To Have A Full Public Debate About This New Technological Frontier. Including Contributions By Renowned Figures Such As Roland Clift, K. Eric Drexler And Arpad Pusztai, This Is The First Global Overview Of The State Of Nanotech And Society In Europe, The Usa, Japan And Canada, Examining The Ethics, The Environmental And Public Health Risks, And The Governance And Regulation Of This Most Promising, And Potentially Most Dangerous, Of All Technologies.--book Cover. The Challenge Of Nanotechnologies / Geoffrey Hunt And Michael D. Mehta -- Nanotechnology: From 'wow' To 'yuck'? / Kristen Kulinowski -- Nanotechnology: From Feynman To Funding / K. Eric Drexler -- Microsystems And Nanoscience For Biomedical Applications: A View To The Future / Linda M. Pilarksi, Michael D. Mehta, Timothy Caulfield, Karan V.i.s. Kaler, And Christopher J. Backhouse -- Nanotechnoscience And Complex Systems: The Case For Nanology / Geoffrey Hunt -- Nanotechnologies And Society In Japan / Matsuda Masami, Geoffrey Hunt, And Obayashi Masayuki -- Nanotechnologies And Society In The Usa / Kirsty Mills -- Nanotechnologies And Society In Europe / Geoffrey Hunt -- Nanotechnologies And Society In Canada / Linda Goldenberg -- From Biotechnology To Nanotechnology: What Can We Learn From Earlier Technologies? / Michael D. Mehta -- Getting Nanotechnology Right The First Time / John Balbus, Richard Denison, Karen Florini, And Scott Walsh -- Risk Management And Regulation In An Emerging Technology / Roland Clift -- Nanotechnologyand Nanoparticle Toxicity: A Case For Precaution / C. Vyvyan Howard And December S.k. Ikah -- The Future Of Nanotechnology In Food Science And Nutrition: Can Science Predict Its Safety? / Árpád Pusztai And Susan Bardocz -- The Global Ethics Of Nanotechnology / Geoffrey Hunt -- Going Public: Risk, Trust And Public Understandings Of Nanotechnology / Julie Barnett, Anna Carr, And Roland Clift -- Dwarfing The Social? Nanotechnology Lessons From The Biotechnology Front / Edna F. Einsiedel And Linda Goldenberg -- Nanotechnologies And The Law Of Patents: A Collision Course / Siva Vaidhyanathan -- Nanotechnology And Civil Liability / Alan Hannah And Geoffrey Hunt -- Nanotechnologies And The Ethical Conduct Of Research Involving Human Subjects / Lorraine Sheremeta -- Nanotechnologies And Corporate Criminal Liability / Celia Wells And Juanita Elias -- What Makes Nanotechnologies Special? / Michael D. Mehta And Geoffrey Hunt. Edited By Geoffrey Hunt And Michael D. Mehta. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. From the Publisher: Nanotechnology is the new genetic modification, with $5 billion in funding, involving thousands of companies and universities. This is the first book to take stock of the risks and benefits of nanotechnology, and the complex ethical and legal questions facing governments, the public, investors, and businesses worldwide. An accessible popular science book for all interested in the fascinating and unpredictable science, law, policy and regulation of nanotech. Nanotechnology-technology at the molecular level-has the potential, according to its supporters, to create a trillion dollar economy and provide solutions from curing cancer to reprocessing waste into products and building super-fast computers. Yet, as with genetically modified organisms, many view nanotech as a high-risk genie in a bottle that once uncorked has the potential to cause unpredictable, and perhaps irreversible, environmental and public health disasters. With the race to bring products to market, there is pressing need to take stock of the situation and to have a full public debate about this new technological frontier. Including contributions by renowned figures such as Roland Clift, K. Eric Drexler, and Arpad Pusztai, this is the first global overview of the state of nanotech and society in US, Europe, Japan, and Canada, examining the ethics, the environmental, and public health risks, and the governance and regulation of this most promising, and potentially most dangerous, of all technologies