Nanotechnology: The Future At Whose Expense?

Nanotechnology is the antithesis of Natural Health (as it relates to LNH), although nature has been lab-copied to create nanotechnology, but it is big news and affects all of us on one level or another. We'd be remiss if we didn't discuss it. Let's watch a video to get our feet wet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4CjZ-OkGDs

and

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9142464944215677186&hl=en

This second video is a bit dry, but complete.  Please view them with an open mind. There are many sides to the nano-equation -- and it's not all good, as they would have you believe in the first video.  The last 10 minutes of the second video are especially revealing and alarming to scientists around the world.

Nanotubes, which were discovered about 20 years ago, are rolled-up sheets of interlocked carbon atoms that form a tube so strong and light that some scientists have suggested using a nanotube wire to tether satellites in a fixed position above Earth. They're used in various applications -- from building tiny nanoradios and tennis rackets to iPods and computer chips.  

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9123245&intsrc=hm_list

and

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=Health_Care&articleId=9088939&taxonomyId=132&intsrc=kc_li_story

The effects of nano products emitting nanotubes on nanotech workers or on the unprotected (no lab gear) public when a racquet is scraped along the ground is unknown and unstudied.  

One question: Why not?  Aside from the fact that the FDA doesn't require labeling, why wouldn't these industry giants (billions in annual revenues) show social consciousness and responsibility by making the public aware of what they're doing AND perform studies and research long term exposure effects on humans?  

It has been proven that nanomaterials pass through the blood-brain barrier and also gets into cells, the liver, spleen, pancreas, etc., and can cause oxidative stress, which could start a transcription of genes which should not occur and become problematic.   It's been recommended that nanomaterials are regulated as "Hazardous", however, are not regulated to date.  And yet development continues. Nanobioweapons for one.  Chemical weapons for another. There are more.

Biotech companies are all about the future, but at what cost? Human health?  Or will they have developed a completely robotic society and won't have to consider human health ramifications in the future?  

Sounds far-fetched, but it's not.  It's no secret that the US military has been working on building a robotic army for years.  

Nanotechnology is also used to develop delivery systems for cosmetics and skin care products.  This is alarming, as we know that substances put on the skin (nano or not) are absorbed into the bloodstream.  

http://www.organicmakeupandskincare.com/blog/2009/02/organic-skin-care-vs-nanotechnology/

http://www.organicconsumers.org/clothes/nanotech011105.cfm

Nanotechnology is in your food, too:

http://www.nanotech-now.com/news.cgi?story_id=32231

So we now know that nanotubes and nanoparticles have already invaded human bodies.  To what end?  Morgellons?  

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=2283503&page=1

Since this ABC Primetime report, we've learned that Morgellons particles are self-replicating in the body.  They are not known to be contagious.

http://www.kickthemallout.com/article.php/Story-Nanotech_Is_Killing_People

How did this happen?  Dr Hildegarde Staninger, a prominent and highly regarded toxicologist, literally wrote the book on toxicology.  Here is an excerpt of her Morgellons research findings:

Some other diseases that have come into play for workplace and environmental exposures are the following:

Morgellons - A disease in which individuals have the growth of fibers from their skin that burn at 1,700 degrees F and do not melt. (20) A private study to determine the chemical and biological composition of these fibers has shown that the fibers' outer casing is made up of high density polyethylene fiber (HDPE). The fiber material is used commonly in the manufacture of fiber optics. There is no history of the individual in that industry or coming into contact with this material. It was further determined that this material is used throughout the bio nanotechnology world as a compound to encapsulate a viral protein envelope, which is composed of a viron (1/150th times smaller than a virus) with DNA, RNA, RNAi (mutated RNA) or RNAsi linear or ring plasmids for specific functions. (21, 22) Toxicological pathology identification of tissue biopsies from an individual diagnosed with Morgellons revealed the presence of continual silica or glass tubules with the presence of silicone. (23) It must be noted that the core toxicological effects of silicone alone have been demonstrated throughout the breast implant industry and litigation cases. (24, 25) Furthermore, silicone cannot make silica, but silica or silica bicarbonate can make silicone through natural cellular interaction in a biological system. The subject did not have breast implants or any other implant or silicon glue injections.

Here's a clip of Dr Staninger's nanotech findings:

FDA, EPA and Nanotechnology

Nanotechnlogy is the ability to control things at an atomic and molecular scale of between one and 100 nanometers and has been met with enthusiasm across a variety of industries. Critics highlight the murky area of how nanoparticles affect toxicity and say nanoparticles should be treated as new, potentially harmful materials and tested for safety accordingly.(5)

Unlike pharmaceuticals, which must go through a series of pre-market approvals, finished dietary supplements need no pre-market approval. Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), which is part of the Food and Cosmetic Act, only ingredients not marketed in the US before October 1994 must be approved by FDA before use in consumer products. Thus, as it stands, pre-market regulation of nanotechnology in dietary supplements, biological pesticides, and other man made nanotechnology does not fall under FDA, EPA, OSHA, FIFRA and other regulatory agencies in the USA, just for the simple reason that the nanotechnology is so small that the conventional regulatory laboratory methods do not have equipment to measure at 9 decimals below the zero and are only addressing 3 and 4 decimals (ppm, ppb, and ppt).

In 2005, the Woodrow Wilson International Center stated that more than $30 billion in manufactured goods, according to Lux Research, almost doubled the previous year. The market analyst projects that by 2014, 15 % of all globally manufactured goods will incorporate nanotechnology. So, as environmentalists, engineers and scientists, how do we monitor and keep our bodies, workplace and environment safe from its own self? (6)

Here's the link to the full report with specimen photos:

http://www.staningerreport.com/#morgellons.html

As you can see, nanotechnology is all around us every day. And it's only getting bigger:

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090504/121432586.html

http://seekingalpha.com/article/136686-two-nanotech-companies-to-watch

Nanotech sounds great in theory, but has been shown to have deleterious effects on humans. There are positive aspects, but do they outweigh the potentially devastating aspects? It's crucial to become educated aware of how these technologies impact our health as well as the health of our loved ones for generations to come, and involved with having a say in how they are marketed and labeled for human contact -- topical, ingested or otherwise.

OC