On Mon, Apr 10, 2006 at 01:08:36PM -0700, William Chops Westfield wrote:
> 
> On Apr 10, 2006, at 10:05 AM, Peter Todd wrote:
> 
> > I should say that I would have also expected the manufacturer to
> > do some tests on humans too, once the product had passed animal
> > testing. At least then it'd be on informed volunteers with
> > proper medical monitoring.
> 
> I don't think that cleaning products are normally required
> to undergo medical-style testing...  Requiring medical evaluation
> of all "new" materials would surely be a great way to completely
> kill nanotechnology...  (now, SOME care ought to be taken before
> nanoparticles show up in CONSUMER products, but...)

Well, hell, they probably should be in consumer contexts. I've gone
through the standard MSDS chemical safety course so I could work as a
monitor at the plastics lab. From what they said there, it sounded like
if a product hasn't been tested specificly to show it's not toxic, you
treat it as though it's toxic and use appropriate measures. But that's
all industrial settings where those appropriate measures, gloves,
vent-hoods etc. are very easy to come by. And quantities used are much,
much higher.

Unfortunately it wouldn't really surprise me if consumer stuff is
handled in a *more* lax fashion... All the nasty carcinogenic plastics
related chemicals we handle only in ventilated rooms using either vent
hoods or downdraft vent tables are also available with vague warning
labels at the art supply store next door... If any of that stuff turns
out to kill you immediately, rather that give you cancer after years of
use, it'll be home users who die first.

> (Did you know that Buckyballs have shown a particular affinity
> for banding to and "messing up" DNA?)

Figures, which would be yet another reason that *any* uncontrolled
combustion produces nasty cancer causing stuff. You can easilly make
buckyballs with a candle...

-- 
pete@petertodd.ca http://www.petertodd.ca
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