Nano particles, which are common in items such as cosmetics, medicine, and tennis rackets, have been shown to potentially produce damage on DNA and may trigger cancer, heart disease, and atherosclerosis, according to a recent Danish study. But what are nano particles?
Nano particles are custom built atomic structures. Because they are custom built, nano particles can be used in all sorts of applications, and are currently being developed for use in electronics, detergents, packaging, medicine, and more.
While research is going on all over the world for these particles, we don’t know how harmful the future products will be to us, our children, or nature. We don’t know how nano waste will react. Will it break up and dissolve? Will airborne particles have the same effects as asbestos exposure?
Asbestos, which is as small as three micron (3 millionths of a meter), can cause lung cancer or mesothelioma if inhaled, and there is no safe exposure level. Nano particles, in comparison, are one billionth of a meter, or 0.000000001 meter.
Nano products are estimated to be worth at least $100 billion by 2015. Of course, the industry is going to love the ability to produce goods specifically designed and fine-tuned for their exact purpose, but at what cost to our lives?