Freedom to care

Nanotechnology & Society: New Book

Geoffrey Hunt, Professor of Ethics in the University of Surrey, has edited a new book on nanotechnology: Nanotechnology: Risk, Ethics & Law, edited by Hunt, G & Mehta, M (University of Saskatchewan, Canada), published by Earthscan, London will appear on 1st June 2006, firstly as a hardback (ISBN: 1844073580, £24.95). It has eighteen chapters covering all aspects of the new developing technology across the globe.

Nanotechnology is the useful application of engineered particles, devices and structures that have at least one dimension of 100 nanometres or less. Ten hydrogen atoms in a row are one nanometre across. This is the scale of viruses, and even ordinary substances such as carbon or silicon have surprising new properties when made at this vanishingly small size.

These novel properties open up new possibilities in drug delivery, tissue engineering, and medical monitoring and imaging but also create new hazards and risks for public health and ecological systems. The book weighs up the balance from ethical, economic and legal points of view.

Geoff's three chapters are on the global ethics and accountability of nanotechnology, developments in Europe, and nanotechnoscience and complexity theory. Prof Roland Clift CBE of UniS, inventor of the Life Cycle Assessment approach in environmental strategy, is among the contributors. Advanced orders may be made through www.amazon.co.uk.

For more on the social implications of nanotechnology go to:

International Network for Nanotechnology, Society & Health

2006