HOWARD LOVY on the latest raft of toxic nanotechnology stories:

It’s frustrating to read and hear some of the coverage of this “story,” since basic rules of journalism are apparently thrown out the window. Science and technology writers, especially, should know that there have actually been no tests showing that nanotechnology is toxic to anything or anyone. The old nanotube rat and buckyball fish studies show that if you pump these beasts full of raw nanoparticles, they’ll probably suffocate or become brain damaged.

Any company that dumps a bunch of raw, uncooked, unengineered nanoparticles into any product would not actually be practicing “nanotechnology.” So, these oft-repeated studies show absolutely nothing about the potential toxicity of nanotech products. It shows that scientists are practicing science, one small step at a time.

Indeed.