"NANO BRICK WALL"-WITHIN THE REALM OF FEASIBILITY?

The nano technology, which is a focus of attention by many sectors of manufacturing industry, is mired in controversies regarding its safety credentials vis-a-vis human beings. Though there is no evidence so far regarding any adverse consequences that might be caused by nano technology based products, there is still a lot of apprehension in the minds of consumers, as many aspects of this new development are not still clearly understood. Those who are votaries of nano technology hold the view that any new technology intended for use by humans has risks and the decision regarding its deployment by the industry is based on a virtual risk-benefit analysis. The fact that millions of dollars of investments are being channeled into nano technology research both in the private and public sector research institutions spanning the world, it has to be conceded that safety aspects will be high in the minds of those committed to this area of development. A recent finding by a scientific group that new plastic films incorporating nano particles of clay, one thousandth of the size of a human hair or less, can have functional properties similar to that of glass may be of big impact on the food industry, if it can be translated into commercial application with assured safety.

"A discovery thousands of times smaller than a human hair could completely redefine how restaurants serve their food. But it might also usher in one of the biggest controversies in food safety the industry has seen in years. An engineering team at Texas A&M University developed a revolutionary thin-coating polymer with the food-preservation qualities of glass. Jaime Grunlan, the associate professor at Texas A&M who headed the research effort, says the innovative packaging material could preserve a carbonated drink's fizz better than anything on the market. The film is 70 percent clay particles, more eco-friendly than plastics, and thousands of times thinner than a single hair. Grunlan's coating is water, a soluble polymer, and clay. "It's basically dirt," he says. "It's my understanding that clay is food-contact approved. With the polymer we're using, if it's not food-contact approved, we can switch to another polymer. This is a very tailorable technology for changing properties or toxicity."

Though many leading food companies, especially in advanced countries are known to pursue nano technology research, anticipating huge spin off eventually, no one seems to be ready to conceded that they are in this field, probably because of the possible consumer back lash due to fear of adverse health consequences of ingesting nano particles. It is a difficult task to prove conclusively that nano particles do not interfere with thousands of biological activities that take place in human body. A multi nation task force involving technologically front line nations must address this problem and pool their resources to come out with a definitive conclusion regarding the safety questions that haunt the industry at present. A beautiful technology with immense potential to contribute to the welfare of the world must not be allowed to be sidelined for want of scientific effort in establishing its safety. .

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com