(D) Weare well informed of the advantages of nanotechnology, but we must beaware that there are possible dangers that arise with the developmentof nanotechnology. Groups such as Centerfor Responsible Nanotechnology(CRN) have advocated thatnanotechnology should be speciallyregulated by governments. One area of concern is the effect thatindustrial-scale manufacturing and use of nanomaterialswould have on human health and the environment.

Someof the recently developed nanoparticle products may have unintendedconsequences. Researchers have discovered that silver nanoparticlesused in socks only to reduce foot odor are being released in the washwith possible negative consequences.

Silvernanoparticles, which are bacteriostatic, may then destroy beneficialbacteria which are important for breaking down organic matter inwaste treatment plants or farms.

Astudy found that when rats breathed in nanoparticles, the particlessettled in the brain and lungs, which led to significant increases ininflammation and stress. A study in China indicated thatnanoparticles induce skin aging through oxidative stress in hairlessmice. A two-year study found lab mice consuming nano-titanium dioxideshowed DNA and chromosome damage to a degree "linked to all thebig killers of man, namely cancer, heart disease, neurologicaldisease and aging."A major study published more recently in Nature Nanotechnologysuggests some forms of carbon nanotubes could be as harmful asasbestos if inhaled in sufficient quantities.

Inthe absence of specific nano-regulation forthcoming from governments,Paul and Lyons (2008) have called for an exclusion of engineerednanoparticles from organic food.