The 2013 Workshop in Applied Philosophy will be held from September 29th -29th at Northeastern University in Boston. The topic will be “Frontiers of Informed Consent.” For more information, see: http://www.northeastern.edu/ethics/workshop/.
NSRG researchers Ron Sandler, Jacqueline Isaacs, and Christopher Bosso participate in a workshop on the Global Regulation of Nanotechnology, sponsored by the Northeastern University School of Law.
On October 8, NSRG researchers Christopher Bosso and Jennifer Nash hosted the workshop, “Environmental Policy in Massachusetts: Promoting Safe Development in a Time of Economic Uncertainty.” The workshop explored the key role that states play in advancing the dual—and sometimes competing—agendas of economic development and environmental quality. The springboard for discussions was four case studies [...]
Nanotechnology promises to transform the materials of everyday life, leading to smaller and more powerful computers, more durable plastics and fabrics, cheap and effective water purification systems, more efficient solar panels and storage batteries, and medical devices capable of tracking down and killing cancer cells. Policy analysts predict a radical change in the industrial sector. Yet the nanotechnology revolution is not straightforward. Edited by Director and Principal Investigator Christopher J. Bosso, Governing Uncertainty: Environmental Regulation in the Age of Nanotechnology contains perspectives from economics, history, philosophy, and public policy. This new resource illuminates the challenges inherent in the development of nanotechnology and works toward a reconceptualization of government regulatory approaches.
Order the book from Earthscan Publishing here.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Northeastern University
Emerging technologies such as nanotechnology pose a variety of challenges to risk management depending on the nature of the information available. Sometimes there is little or no information about whether a hazard exists, and the issue is coping with the “unknown”; sometimes there is a sudden discovery, a “surprise” that requires interpretation. Or much information may be available, but the information base may be in flux with new aspects acquiring prominence. In all cases there may be strong interests eager to present and interpret particular aspects of the information base.
As Congress considers continued funding for the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) including support for responsible development for nanotechnology, a Northeastern University report funded by the National Science Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies investigates common misconceptions associated with emerging nanotechnologies and emphasizes the importance of attending to ethical issues within ongoing responsible development discourses and efforts.
Washington D.C. – The National Research Council, as part of The National Academies, has made available its forthcoming book: Review of the Federal Strategy For Nanotechnology-Related Environmental, Health, And Safety Research online at its website. The book provides a thorough examination of the effectiveness of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) in protecting the public from the possible dangers involved in the manufacture, handling, use, and disposal of nanomanufactured goods.
In an effort to examine the effects of nanotechnology on the environment, the EPA, under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), has asked participants from the emerging nanotech industry to voluntarily submit data regarding the “material characterization, hazard, use, potential exposures, and risk management practices” involved in their techniques of production.
UPDATE:In January 2009, the EPA released its Interim Report, available here.
M. Ellenbecker, S. Tsai
This document was written to provide interim best safety and health practices to students, staff and faculty of the CHN who work with nanoparticles. We use “interim” best practices because the field of nanoparticle health and safety is rapidly evolving at this time; there is much that is not known about the toxicity of nanoparticles and the hazards of respiratory and dermal exposures, and there is no known safe threshold for such exposures to nanoparticles. It is expected that this document will be updated periodically – when this happens, the new version will be distributed to all CHN investigators and posted here.
Boston, MA – For two days in September, experts in industry, academia, and government descended upon the Raytheon Amphitheater at Northeastern University for the 6th New England International Nanomanufacturing Workshop.
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