Nanotechology Risks Not A Concern To Most People

Researchers asked a panel of 307 people about how risky they believe nanoparticles are compared to 23 other public health risks – such as obesity, smoking, using cell phones and nuclear energy. The results of this new study find that the general public thinks getting a suntan poses a greater public health risk than nanotechnology or other nanoparticle applications. In fact, 60 percent of respondents felt that nanoparticles posed either no health risk or only a slight health risk. The study, from North Carolina State University, is the first to compare the public’s perception of the risks associated with nanoparticles to other environmental and health safety risks. The resulting paper, “Comparing nanoparticle risk perceptions to other known EHS risks,” is forthcoming from the Journal of Nanoparticle Research.