Why is nanotechnology controversy

National Science Foundation, Arlington. Google Scholar. Le Cavalier Bleu, Paris. Laurent B Les espaces politiques des substances chimiques. Le nanomonde dans la matrice des futurs. Chaskiel P Syndicalisme et nanotechnologies.

Sociologie du travail 55 4 — Technol Soc 35 1 — De Kerorguen Y Les nanotechnologies, espoir, menace ou mirage? Terrain 58 March. Download references. I would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments which helped be to improve this text.

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Correspondence to Marie-Gabrielle Suraud. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Reprints and Permissions. Suraud, MG. Nanoethics 13, — Download citation.

Received : 29 October Accepted : 05 July Published : 20 July Issue Date : 15 August Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:. Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative. Skip to main content. Search SpringerLink Search. Abstract Based on fieldwork, this article highlights the unexpected effects of controversies about nanotechnology in France. Notes 1. Interviews with several researchers in France in about 10 laboratories. Several researchers insisted on this point: a non-effect result will not favor publishing.

All the interviewed researchers agreed on this point. Interview with a chemist and an ecotoxicologist. These unique properties have created significant interest and excitement, sparking numerous research investigations. Nanotechnology is a very broad field with many current and potential applications. Some important examples of applications include battlefield activated dynamic armor clothing for soldiers, additives to sunscreens, and diagnostic laboratories on a chip to monitor general personal health.

Groundbreaking capabilities often raise new questions. Any new scientific or technological development has the usual concomitant associated ethical issues, specifically regarding containment and regulation. These ethical issues are more pronounced with nanotechnology due to the sharp divide between those who see its great potential and opponents who express fears. Nanotechnology supporters believe that it has the potential to transform our lives dramatically, while opponents of nanotechnology fear that self-replicating "nanobots" could escape from laboratories and reduce all life on earth to "gray goo.