DTSC and Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is a science that promises breakthroughs in all kinds of areas. We are already seeing it in stain resistant clothes, stronger materials and even in makeup. DTSC is working to make sure that Nanotechnology is safe for our health and the environment, that industry and government build strong partnerships, that the consumers get product information and that the benefits of Green chemistry will be incorporated.

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Video script

Why is DTSC interested in nanotechnology?

DTSC sees nanotechnology as the new “plastic” because it will show up in many industrial applications and consumer products. Materials and devices designed at the nanoscale level are being used or considered for use in applications as diverse as cancer treatment to scratch-resistance automotive coatings.  Because of the unique properties of nanomaterials, DTSC sees a need to understand this industrial sector and its products by:

• gathering information on nanotechnology,
• monitoring the efforts of other regulatory agencies about this emerging technology,
• working with this emerging industrial sector to incorporate the benefits of "green chemistry" approaches, pollution prevention techniques, and sustainable manufacturing strategies to prevent potential adverse public health and environmental consequences,
• working toward a partnership with this industrial sector to develop an industrial ecology of manufacturing to product stewardship approach that will protect public health and the environment, and
• continuing to explore the merits of pro-active industrial initiatives and traditional governmental regulatory approaches.