Searching for the Nano-Needle in a Green Haystack: Researching the Environmental, Health, And Safety Ramifications of Nanotechnology

Since its development in the 1980s, nanotechnology, or nanotech, has been heralded as the next great scientific revolution. However, despite its rapid growth nanotechnology has largely been ignored by the average consumer. As a result, nanotechnology has flourished perpetuating the notion of a technology filled with infinite promise and the possibility to reshape our everyday lives for the better, with the creation of nano-medicines, improved manufacturing techniques, and access to greener energy. But, as with most technology, nanotech similarly comes with a darker side. While it is understood that nanomaterials threaten our ecosystem, the precise mechanisms and impact of these harms are largely unknown as are the potential risks to human health. Moreover, in the absence of a comprehensive regulatory framework, and due to the highly technical and uncertain nature of the science involved, efforts to research the environmental ramifications of nanotechnology can often prove frustrating. For all of these reasons, a primer focusing on the availability of resources in this area seems a timely and appropriate addition to the existing scholarship in the field. As such, this article provides environmental legal researchers and practitioners with a guide to researching the environmental, health, and safety ramifications of nanotechnology. The article discusses effective strategies for researching this topic in the United States and provides an annotated list of key Internet resources, agencies, reports, monographs, and articles.