report
2.4 Responsibility issues in current nanoscience and nanotechnology

Topic of the report

Identified issues

Agricultural production

-         Sensor networks (for crops and livestock): potential ethical issues: privacy, dual use, balance security-freedom (not typical for agricultural applications);

-         Disease and pest control in crop plants: risks of residue and unintended consequences for human health and the environment, precaution;

-         Intellectual property issues (proprietary technologies and knowledge may hinder innovation in e.g. nano-emulsion technology);

-         Genetic engineering of crops and livestock is controversial;

-         Agriculture as means to produce nanomaterials: competition with food-crops may lead to increased food prices and hunger (cf biodiesel), distributive justice;

-         Chances for green/sustainable production of (nano)materials offer potential benefits for society and the environment.

Textiles technology and sector

-         Chances for greening textiles production offer potential benefits for society and the environment (chemicals/materials/energy saving; reduced waste);

-         Potential unknown health/safety risks, need for life cycle analysis, precaution;

-         Antimicrobial applications: offers benefits as well as potential risks for health and the environment. Need for life cycle analysis, precaution;

-         Fear of side effects of nano-products (environmental/toxicity/allergy issues) to some extent for Clothing, domestic and medical uses (Cientifica, 2006), precaution;

-         Intellectual property issues (e.g. preference to licence, rather than implement) especially for medical and military uses (Cientifica, 2006);

-         Medical e-textiles: preventive healthcare applications change definitions of health, raising ethical issues of enhancement, choices in use of limited healthcare resources and privacy issues (also for sports).

Regenerative medicine

-         General biomedical ethics issues apply;

-         Possibly enhancement issues?

Construction sector

-         Precaution (worker safety)?

-         Use of raw materials / commodities markets? (Sustainability, distributive justice);

-         Sustainability issues, incl. energy saving, emission reduction in manufacturing building materials or in use;

-         Cooperation with or impact on socio-economic development of developing countries, distributive justice

Security

-         Focus on terrorism, excluding other security issues including warfare and crime (but includes narcotics);

-         Dual use is acknowledged (detection of chemical agents incl. industrial toxins);

-         Cf HIDE project discussion of biometrics / Nanoforum report on nanosecurity – elsa issues;

-         Terahertz detectors lead to severe privacy and human rights issues if used to see through clothes of people;

-         What is the main market for security technologies (small shop-owners wanting to prevent theft?).

Environment –groundwater remediation

-         Potential benefits for sustainable development;

-         Life cycle analysis needed to avoid unintended consequences, precaution.

Environment –chemical and gas sensor

-         Privacy issues;

-         Other ethical or ELSA issues depend on the application.

Chemistry & materials

-         Precaution, risk governance

ICT- Displays

-         Ubiquitous computing issues (privacy);

-         Human-machine interactions;

-         Life cycle analysis, precaution.

Table 4.2 Individual and collective responsibility for nanotechnology development

-         Governance (choices in limited resources, benefits, sustainable, scenario/foresight): agricultural production, textiles, the construction sector and the environment (groundwater remediation);

-         Innovation, intellectual property: agricultural production and textiles;

-         Precaution, risk, dual use: agricultural production, textiles, the construction sector, security, the environment (groundwater remediation), Chemistry and materials and ICT (Displays);

-         Justice, nano and the poor: agricultural production, textiles, regenerative medicine and the construction sector.

Table 4.3 Other issues

nanobiomedical ethics

ICT, privacy and security

-         Human machine interaction;

-         Enhancement;

-         Anthropology;

-         Human rights;

-         Health or medical ethics;

-         Bioethics.

-         Security;

-         Freedom;

-         Privacy;

-         Computer ethics;

-         Human rights.