Once confined to the laboratory, nanotechnology has quietly entered the lives of ordinary people through hundreds of innovative products such as liquid-wicking clothing, antibacterial stuffed toys, tennis rackets, sunscreens, toothpaste and more. By some estimates, the market for nano-manufactured goods could exceed $2 trillion by 2014.
Such rapid rise in the development and use of nanomaterials has not only outpaced government regulation, but there is much we don’t know about the effect of nanoparticles on health and the environment.
In its Quest series, California PBS station KQED, explores the potential implications of these incredibly small, engineered materials on the macro world we live in.
Macro Concerns in a Nano World
Note to Teachers: A downloadable Educator’s Guide on the topic of nanotechnology is available on the KQED web site.
