The Urgency of Nanotechnology Safety Education [Nanosafety and Education]

The widely popular optimistic estimate of approximately 2.5 million nanoworkers worldwide [1] by the year 2015 will include countries such as China, Germany, Brazil, and others. This estimate is a novel prediction; however, the United States may be the minority in nanoworkers. We as a nation are lagging behind in implementing nanotechnology programs to be globally competitive. Of course, we have the technological advantage in terms of scientists, but what about the nanoworkers, such as technicians, who help create nanomaterials for products? According to Dean Hart [2], chief commercial officer of Nano- Ink, Inc., an emerging growth technology company specializing in nanometerscale manufacturing and applications for the life sciences, engineering, pharmaceutical, and education industries, ‘‘Suzhou China is an example of what the United States is up against when it comes to a commitment to leading the commercialization of nanotechnology.’’