Magic Nano Has Neither Magic nor Nano

Once released into the environment, nanoparticles cannot be reclaimed. They will blow around in the atmosphere, dissolve in the oceans and rivers, enter the soil and possibly enter the food-chain. On the other hand, natural and not-so-natural nanoparticles already exist in the environment that do no particular harm. Still, if there is any event that is likely to derail the nanotech revolution before it gets rolling, it is the discovery of a health hazard in a nanotech product. Swiss Re, one of the world’s largest reinsurance firms has already made a big point out of the unknown potential liability problems associated with nanoparticles.

For a few weeks, it looked like the worse case scenario was unfolding in Europe as a product called Magic Nano was pulled from the shelves.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Magic Nano was billed as a miraculous solution for household drudgery, able to repel dirt and moisture from bathroom surfaces through the wonders of nanotechnology.

Instead, the spray-on ceramic sealant quickly has become an emblem of the growing global fears over incorporating artificial particles tens of thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair into such everyday products as golf balls, sunscreen and clothing.

Three days after Magic Nano went on sale in Europe in March, it was pulled from store shelves because at least 110 customers reported symptoms including racking coughs, chest pain and difficulty breathing.

All the neo-Luddites were just getting ready to raid Max Plank University, breaking up labs, destroying expensive atomic force microscopes with pick-axes, and generally acting rude, when German regulatory authorities saved the day. Whatever was making people sick can’t be blamed on nanoparticles because Magic Nano contains none. Thank you, Lord. Magic Nano is reputed to lay down a nanoscale thin-film of silicon dioxide, but tests failed to verify that it actually does so. Most likely, this is a case of misleading advertising.

It is still too early to tell whether Magic Nano has damaged nanotech’s “brand.” How nice it would be if there would always be some sort of authority to sort out what is and isn’t nano. But that isn’t going to happen. PR-savvy trade organizations like the NanoBusiness Alliance should take it upon themselves to promote safe nanotechnology, perhaps even coming up with some standards to go by. And they should also come down hard on people who promote bogus nanotech. As Vicki Colvin, executive director of the Center for Biological and Environmental Technology put it in testimony before Congress, “The perception that nanotechnology will cause environmental devastation or human disease could itself turn the dream of a trillion dollar industry into a nightmare of public backlash.”

P.S. My thanks to old river-running buddy David Wagner for pointing me to the LA Times link. David once memorably posed the still unanswered question: "In a post-apocalyptic world, would rather have a prize-winning scientist around or a good mechanic?"