Chemical giant DuPont and Environmental Defense (an organization dedicated to protecting the environment) are today releasing a “Nano Risk Framework.” This document is a two-year long attempt to help avoid the potential “gray goo” danger of nanotechnology run amok, as well as addressing nearer term medical difficulties that might arise from ingesting/inhaling nanotechnology with unknown toxicology.
According to DuPont, the document is “a comprehensive, practical, and flexible Nano Risk Framework—a systematic and disciplined process—to evaluate and address the potential risks of nanoscale materials. The Framework offers guidance on the key questions an organization should consider in developing applications of such materials, and on the critical information needed to make sound risk evaluations and risk management decisions.”
The 104-page pdf document (available here) describes a six-step process for responsible creators of nanotech:
1. Describe the Material and its Applications
2. Profile its Lifecycle(s)
3. Evaluate Risks
4. Assess Risk Management
5. Decide, Document, and Act
6. Review and Adapt
The framework is designed for responsible researchers and inventors, as a tool to help them keep their products as safe as possible. However, a framework such as this can’t protect against the malicious creation and use of nanotech which has been a staple of fiction since the 1970s.