The following article is reprinted courtesy of the Hamilton Spectator,
McMaster University’s partner in the Science in the City Lecture Series.

Two sides to nanotechnology

Lecture explores the good and bad

Eric McGuinness
The Hamilton Spectator
(Feb 11, 2008)

Russian President Vladimir Putin is calling for his country to spend more on nanotechnology research for weapons development, leaving no doubt that science of the supersmall has the potential for harm as well as good.

But there are other risks as well, according to McMaster University's John Preston.

The engineering physics professor can't be anything but a booster of the technology -- he's leader of the McMaster Initiative in Nanoinnovation -- and talks enthusiastically about developing new tools to treat cancer, better ways to generate energy and a range of new manufactured products.

At the same time, however, he notes that materials act differently and may become dangerous at nanoscale, measured in billionths of a metre. Aluminum in a pop can seems harmless, but chop it finely enough and it will react violently with oxygen and ignite explosively.

Others worry that carbon nanotubes already being used in tennis rackets and bikes might prove toxic to factory workers, that particles so small can cross the blood-brain barrier that normally protects the brain from toxic particles.

Preston will address the good-news, bad-news aspects of nanotechnology in a public lecture tomorrow titled the Promise and Perils of Nanotechnology, one of the Science in the City series co-sponsored by the university and The Hamilton Spectator.

Interviewed in advance, he said: "It's important the public understand better what's happening and the speed at which it's happening. There's a funny sense among some of us (in the field) that public/ government/society should be thinking, should be more worried, about this than they are. They're trusting us an awful lot.

"At the same time, there's nothing to be horribly afraid of, but nonetheless, we should be thinking about this stuff. It's real and it's coming up fast."

Nanotechnology, he explained, is bringing chemists, mechanical engineers, physicists and specialists in other disciplines together, but government regulators responsible for workplace safety and environmental protection still work separately.

"There's a division between environment and occupational health, and some people believe nanotechnology messes that up, that you need a more holistic view. The system we have cobbled together works pretty well now, but there are people talking about how to restructure it, and do you need to restructure. Certainly there needs to be enhanced communication."

NEED TO KNOW

Promise and Perils of Nanotechnology, by Professor John Preston

WHEN: Doors open 6:30 p.m., tomorrow. Lecture at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Hamilton Spectator Auditorium, 44 Frid St., Hamilton

RESERVATIONS: 905-525-9140, ext. 24934, or e-mail sciencecity@mcmaster.ca

emcguinness@thespec.com

905-526-4650