Nano technology, being hailed as a new path breaking human achievement in the field of applied science, is lately receiving attention for all wrong reasons. While the advantages that accrue to the industry are infinitesimal, uncertainties regarding its adverse impact on human health are coming in the way of its open use by many industrial sectors. The fact that nano technology has never been approved by any public agencies in the world, especially in food area, further explains the reluctance for open arm acceptance across the industrial spectrum. While nano particles contained in many consumer products other than foods may be assumed to be reasonably safe, what is uncertain is regarding the impact of these very nano particles on the environment and agriculture. A recent report, claiming that nano particles of Zinc Oxide and Cerium Oxide, contaminating the soil through sewage and other waste water sources definitely affect adversely the growth and productivity in Soybean plant, is some what disturbing. Here is a take on this alarming issue.
"Zinc oxide nanoparticles enter agricultural fields through the application of biosolid (sewage sludge) fertilizers, which are composed of dried microbes previously used to process waste water in treatment plants. Researchers discovered that soybean plants grown in soil containing zinc oxide particles bioaccumulate zinc, taking up the metal and distributing it throughout edible plant tissue. This caused a decrease in the food quality of the soybeans, and researchers indicate that it is uncertain whether the zinc that accumulates in the plant's tissues is safe for human consumption in the form of ions and salts. "Juxtaposed against widespread land application of waste water treatment biosolids to food crops, these findings forewarn of agriculturally associated human and environmental risks from the accelerating use of MNMs [manufactured nanomaterial]," the study notes. Cerium oxide nanoparticles can contaminate agricultural fields through exhaust fumes from farm equipment, a likely scenario given that most all conventional soybean crops are produced with the help of industrial machinery. Soybean plants exposed to cerium oxide show a notable reduction in plant growth and yield. Though the cerium oxide particles did not bioaccumulate in plant tissues, they did have a considerable effect on the ability of soybeans to fix nitrogen, an important ecological function specific to leguminous crops. The nanomaterial concentrated at the root nodules of the plant, blocking its ability to form a relationship with the symbiotic bacteria that convert nitrogen in the air to plant-available ammonium fertilizer. The impacts of nanoparticles could lead conventional farmers to apply increasing amounts of synthetic fertilizers to make up for the loss of this natural function. The results of this study underline the urgent need for oversight and regulation of emerging nanotechnology. While the U.S Environmental Protection Agency is required to limit industrial metal discharge into public waste water treatment plants, there are currently no regulations curtailing the release of metal nanoparticles. Researchers explain, "MNMs — while measurable in the waste water treatment plant systems — are neither monitored nor regulated, have a high affinity for activated sludge bacteria, and thus concentrate in biosolids." According to the scientists, "There could be hotspots, places where you have accumulation, including near manufacturing sites where the materials are being made, or if there are spills. We have very limited information about the quantity or state of these synthetic nanomaterials in the environment right now. We know they're being used in consumer goods, and we know they're going down the drain." Nanotechnology is a relatively new technology for taking apart and reconstructing nature at the atomic and molecular level. Just as the size and chemical characteristics of manufactured nanoparticles can give them unique properties, those same new properties –tiny size, vastly increased surface area to volume ratio, high reactivity– can also create unique and unpredictable human health and environmental risks. Many of the products containing nanomaterials on the market now are for skin care and cosmetics, but nanomaterials are also increasingly being used in products ranging from medical therapies to food additives to electronics. In 2009, developers generated $1 billion from the sale of nanomaterials, and the market for products that rely on these materials is expected to grow to $3 trillion by 2015".
It is known that the industry in general is investing large sums of money on research in the area of nano technology though no where in the world its application is approved by safety authorities. Also true is the current practice by many industries in surreptitiously using nano technology having realized its advantages to design better performing products. But if adequate basis exists for suspecting its safety credentials, there must be universal agreement to suspend its use immediately pending further studies to understand the implications fully. By all means any technology that is beneficial to society must be adopted if the benefits accruing from it far outweigh any inherent risk that may be apparent.
V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com
"Zinc oxide nanoparticles enter agricultural fields through the application of biosolid (sewage sludge) fertilizers, which are composed of dried microbes previously used to process waste water in treatment plants. Researchers discovered that soybean plants grown in soil containing zinc oxide particles bioaccumulate zinc, taking up the metal and distributing it throughout edible plant tissue. This caused a decrease in the food quality of the soybeans, and researchers indicate that it is uncertain whether the zinc that accumulates in the plant's tissues is safe for human consumption in the form of ions and salts. "Juxtaposed against widespread land application of waste water treatment biosolids to food crops, these findings forewarn of agriculturally associated human and environmental risks from the accelerating use of MNMs [manufactured nanomaterial]," the study notes. Cerium oxide nanoparticles can contaminate agricultural fields through exhaust fumes from farm equipment, a likely scenario given that most all conventional soybean crops are produced with the help of industrial machinery. Soybean plants exposed to cerium oxide show a notable reduction in plant growth and yield. Though the cerium oxide particles did not bioaccumulate in plant tissues, they did have a considerable effect on the ability of soybeans to fix nitrogen, an important ecological function specific to leguminous crops. The nanomaterial concentrated at the root nodules of the plant, blocking its ability to form a relationship with the symbiotic bacteria that convert nitrogen in the air to plant-available ammonium fertilizer. The impacts of nanoparticles could lead conventional farmers to apply increasing amounts of synthetic fertilizers to make up for the loss of this natural function. The results of this study underline the urgent need for oversight and regulation of emerging nanotechnology. While the U.S Environmental Protection Agency is required to limit industrial metal discharge into public waste water treatment plants, there are currently no regulations curtailing the release of metal nanoparticles. Researchers explain, "MNMs — while measurable in the waste water treatment plant systems — are neither monitored nor regulated, have a high affinity for activated sludge bacteria, and thus concentrate in biosolids." According to the scientists, "There could be hotspots, places where you have accumulation, including near manufacturing sites where the materials are being made, or if there are spills. We have very limited information about the quantity or state of these synthetic nanomaterials in the environment right now. We know they're being used in consumer goods, and we know they're going down the drain." Nanotechnology is a relatively new technology for taking apart and reconstructing nature at the atomic and molecular level. Just as the size and chemical characteristics of manufactured nanoparticles can give them unique properties, those same new properties –tiny size, vastly increased surface area to volume ratio, high reactivity– can also create unique and unpredictable human health and environmental risks. Many of the products containing nanomaterials on the market now are for skin care and cosmetics, but nanomaterials are also increasingly being used in products ranging from medical therapies to food additives to electronics. In 2009, developers generated $1 billion from the sale of nanomaterials, and the market for products that rely on these materials is expected to grow to $3 trillion by 2015".
It is known that the industry in general is investing large sums of money on research in the area of nano technology though no where in the world its application is approved by safety authorities. Also true is the current practice by many industries in surreptitiously using nano technology having realized its advantages to design better performing products. But if adequate basis exists for suspecting its safety credentials, there must be universal agreement to suspend its use immediately pending further studies to understand the implications fully. By all means any technology that is beneficial to society must be adopted if the benefits accruing from it far outweigh any inherent risk that may be apparent.
V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com
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