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We might be celebrating the benefits of new tech research like nanotechnology, genetically modified (GM) foods and stem cell therapy. But scientific community is still fighting the fears—risk to human health and environment.

Scientists aren’t saying there are problems, according to a recent report published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. “They are saying, we don’t know. The research hasn’t been done,” says the study’s lead author.

Developed countries in the West are allocating vast resources—in materials as well as funds—to promote these technologies. While the United States spends $1.5 billion per annum on nanotechnology research and development (R&D), the European Commission is to spend 3 billion euros over the next 10 years. The global market for stem cell research and therapy is expected to be $20-25 billion by 2010. Obviously, making them safe for humankind is also proving to be an opportunity. Making GM food safe for human consumption is one such area. Indian research community is also pitching for these global research funds to undertake R&D to understand the risks these technologies pose to human health and the environment.

According to the study in journal Nature Nanotechnology, unknown human health and environmental impacts of nanotechnology are a bigger worry for scientists than for the public. Nanotechnology, which involves manipulating material at the molecular and atomic level, seems to be at centre stage. A probable reason could also be that this is one technology that is entering mainstream life much faster than the other two technologies.

A common concern with respect to nanotech is that at scales of a billionth of a metre, substances can behave in unpredictable ways and take on new properties.

As on date, over 609 nanotech products exist, with new ones hitting the market at a pace of 3-4 per week. Most applications are limited to the use of nanomaterials, which includes titanium dioxide in sunscreen, cosmetics and some food products; carbon allotropes used to produce gecko tape; silver in food packaging, clothing, disinfectants and household appliances; zinc oxide in sunscreens and cosmetics, surface coatings, paints and outdoor furniture varnishes; and cerium oxide as a fuel catalyst. Potential applications also include low-cost solar power, lubricants, and smart anti-cancer therapeutics that deliver drugs only to tumour cells.