Credit: Quique García / El Mundo
Marc Vidal | Barcelona
Nanotechnology is a word that our grandparents think is a bad word and grandchildren see it as something difficult enough to gloss over in those cases where someone speaks about it. But in fact, that word, that for the non expert ear is so weird, is the last frontier science has trespassed.
Basically, nanotechnology is the science that manipulates matter at molecular and atomic levels. At those levels, materials do not behave like they do when they are in our hands. This fact makes that twelve carbon atoms, for example, make today supercomputers appear as simple calculators. But this is not only in the IT frame where nanotechnology can make a revolution in everything: pharmaceutical industry, medicine or recycling can make a gigantic jump thanks to this field.
The European Commission is aware of the importance that nanotechnology will have in the next few years and how far it is from new generations. Besides, it is aware of the debate that generates the use of nanotechnology, making it similar to that of transgenic organisms, with people in favor or against of it, but a few really expert on the field. This is why the NanoChannels Project has been created, which is intended to inform and open debate to the European society.
Potential Dangers
Therefore, 20 European schools have been selected to explain parents and students what nanotechnology is and to allow students to research on their own. The School “Colegio Pedro Poveda de ITAC”, in Jaén, and Instituto Verdaguer, in Barcelona, were the two selected entities for Spain.
The Barcelonan institute received the project in the afternoon of last Thursday. During the almost two hours in which nanotechnology stands up and be counted, the participants – parents, students and teachers – could listen to the Director of ’Institut Català de Nanotecnologia, Boaz Kogon, making an introduction about what this new science is and what it could be.
Besides, Fabiola Leyton, member of l’Observatori de Bioètica i Dret de la Universitat de Barcelona, explained the doubts nanotechnology entails regarding the effects that it may have on human beings and, above all, on the environment.
Due to these reasons, Leyton assured that governments and scientists “should agree that nanotechnology byproducts should not be marketed until all ‘secondary effects’ are studied“, issue that has not been done with sunscreens made of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
Weak Points
Even though nanotechnology appears to be the golden goose, as in all fields, it has its weak points. The fact that there is still no knowledge about its behavior in terms of the particle at atomic levels it makes not possible to calculate the impact it may have on the environment. Both Leyton and Kogon offer the example of silver, a potent antimicrobial at atomic level, but also “the second most toxic mineral for many marine species, only overcome by mercury”, as they pointed out.
In fact these solar ointments were the issue over which the students debated trying to see the pros and cons from all the angles that people may have, from ministries to the mother concerned about the effects that may have on children. Students also prepared a video – an even a song! – where they explained the potential use of nanotechnology.
The idea of the European Commission and NanoChannels is that nanotechnology ceases to be a perfect stranger for some and an unreachable scientific branch for others, as Kogon said “nanotechnology would be something similar to the industrial revolution for mankind”.
