Questions & Answers

This document wants to give some answers to questions concerning safety and risks in nanoscale science. It does not claim to be complete but rather wants to give some basic answers intelligible to all to a few important questions.
You find more questions and answers on the webpage of the Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung.

The National Research Programme (NRP 64) promotes research areas that study major opportunities and possible risks of engineered nanoparticles.

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Current Safety Debate

What is the safety debate in nanotechnology all about?

What demands are being made in relation to nanotechnology?

What is the position of the management team of the Swiss Nanoscience Institute (SNI) with regard to a moratorium?

Research in general

What is one to make of the comparison of carbon nanotubes to asbestos fibres?

Soot particles in the atmosphere are known to be toxic - is it therefore not obvious that nanoparticles are also toxic?

Are there already any studies on the effect of nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes on human cells?

Research in the NCCR Nanoscale Science

Are there scientists in the SNI who are working on nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes?

Does the research conducted at the Swiss Nanoscience Institute (SNI) carry any risk to the environment or the neighbourhood?

Are ethical and sociological aspects of nanoscale science also studied at the SNI?

What safety precautions are taken in our laboratories? How do SNI scientists protect themselves?

Is only basic research performed at the Swiss Nanoscience Institute (SNI) or are there also possible applications for the research?

What is the position of the management team of the SNI with regard to the safety debate in nanotechnology?

How will the issue of safety continue to be treated at the SNI?

Background Information

What are nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes?

What products are there already on the market which contain nanoparticles or carbon nanotubes?

What is the Swiss Nanoscience Institute (SNI)?