Nanotechnology: The New Asbestos?
June 18th, 2009Via: Food Navigator:
The safety risks of nanotechnology use by the food industry could make it “the new asbestos”, says toxicologist Dr George Burdock of the Burdock Group.
Nanotechnology refers to controlling matter at an atomic or molecular scale measured in nanometers, or millionths of millimeters. In the food industry, the technology has excited manufacturers as its potential uses are explored, including detecting bacteria in packaging, or producing stronger flavors and colorings.
But Dr Burdock claims that manufacturers lack understanding about how particles can change when they are shrunk to nano-size, and the current economic situation has exacerbated potential dangers, as some cost-cutting companies could look to cheaper, less reliable safety assessments.
Altered properties
One of the major safety worries about nanotechnology has been the suggestion that such small particles could feasibly cross cellular membrane barriers, meaning that an ingredient that is currently GRAS (generally recognized as safe) could become dangerous if it is nano-sized – a worry that Dr Burdock shares.
He told FoodNavigator-USA.com: “The problem is that a lot of food ingredient manufacturers are looking at ingredients and saying that a product is GRAS, but if it’s nano-sized it’s going to have different properties.
“The answer is that if you nano-size the particle you have to test it like a new substance. This is what could make nanotechnology the new asbestos.”
His views were echoed in a new report from the Investor Environmental Health Network (IEHN) released on Tuesday which discusses what it terms “disturbing asbestos-nanotech parallels”.
According to the report, “some of these technologies are showing signs of posing serious hazards to human health and the environment, including the same kind of grave threats resulting from exposure to asbestos.”
I can tell you that death by asbestos is a gruesome thing. The particles might lie dormant in your body for many years, but once inhaled – do not know what triggers their metamorphasis to cancer. My sister CLMD died within 6 months of her prognosis. The asbestos fibers were a tumor that could not be removed surgically because they were long fibers that had infiltrated the pleural lining of her lung, and then had wrapped themselves around all of the organs in her body.
My sister had a lot of pain before her death. Was on Brompton’s Cocktail.
Mention the word asbestos around me, and of course, unless I am numb to the moment, I freak out. This is still my reaction since 1983.
I don’t think it matters what the substance is – if it can be inhaled – it just might or probably will, kill you.
That said, it might not kill you if you did some kind of Zen meditation every day that acknowledged you were breathing in crap every day of your life, and then you just zen-ed it out of your body.
In my years of research into what exactly caused my sister to die, I am thinking that whether or not we find a way to deal with the stress of everyday life is more important than the shit we inhale, or eat, or whatever.
I’m working on getting to 15 minutes of absolute zero every day. No reworking of anger towards other people, no thinking about what I have to do, etc. Just puh-lease. 15 freakin minutes. Absolute zero. And that might include a mighty margerita in hand, which is packed with antioxidants, or any other adult-ful means towards mindless-ness.
Got to chill. Else die. Sounds harsh but hindsight is a very grisly bear of a teacher.