Tiny tech, unknown risks - News & Observer, USA
Researchers are faced with concerns about the effects, if any, of nanoparticles once they enter the body.
"Relatively few studies have looked at longer-term impacts, and particularly chronic impacts," said Andrew Maynard, chief science adviser for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies.
Unless more money is provided for research, scientists have made it clear that they won't be able to catch up with the stream of new products hitting store shelves.

EPA Nano Authority under TSCA, Part 5: Can EPA Regulate “Existing” Nanomaterials? - Environmental Defense, USA
In this series of posts, I’ve described some of the serious limits to EPA’s ability to apply its authorities under TSCA to address the potential for nanomaterials to harm human health or the environment. These limits pertain both to EPA’s ability to obtain information sufficient to effectively assess potential risks, and its ability to act on such information when it indicates there are significant risks.
While in some cases EPA could use its existing authorities to do more than it has done, a number of the problems I’ve identified will clearly require changes to TSCA. And, of course, many of these problems extend well beyond nanomaterials to affect all chemicals that fall under the purview of TSCA.

Space elevators, tennis racquets, and mesothelioma - The Lancet Oncology, UK
It would be wise to invoke the Precautionary Principle to ensure health and safety measures are sufficiently rigorous to decrease the possibility of health risks to industry workers. Safety measures, such as modified industrial processes, changes to working practices, and adaptations to personal protective clothing and respiratory equipment, have been suggested. These actions would prevent a repetition of the pitiful response seen in the 20th century to evidence linking asbestos with various lung diseases. Mistakes that have left an appalling legacy: 5000 deaths per year from asbestos-related mesothelioma in the UK by 2020; 1 million deaths worldwide by 2035; and economic consequences of epic proportions—at least £471 million in health-care expenditure in the UK in 2000, and estimated litigation costs of US$200–300 billion in the USA. Such consequences must be avoided during the implementation of carbon nanotechnologies.

The Dark Side of Sunscreens - Washington Post, USA
Sunscreens, as most people know, are important for guarding against burns, skin cancer and premature aging. The catch is that certain ingredients found in many sunscreens might not be so green, or so safe.
If you're concerned about chemicals, sunscreen containing the naturally occurring minerals titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which work as physical rather than chemical barriers, are less likely to be absorbed into the skin than many of their counterparts. They also work particularly well against deeper-penetrating, cancer-causing UVA rays. The catch? Those minerals, in large enough quantities, might not be great for fish either, and some formulas achieve a sheer, non-chalky effect by breaking the minerals into nano-size particles, which have their own set of safety concerns.

On May 21, members of the Madison group Citizens' Coalition on Nanotechnology (CCoN) gathered at Brocach Pub for an evening of informal discussions with Dr. Andrew Maynard.

Click here to watch the videos from the conference.