Posted: July 18, 2007 | |
Nanotechnology in food and farming is inadequately regulated |
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(Nanowerk News) Nanotechnology in food and farming is inadequately regulated, say Australian researchers. | |
Rural sociologist Dr Kristin Lyons of Griffith University and colleagues present a survey of possible nano-applications in agriculture and food at the Rural Futures conference in Canberra this week. | |
"Despite significant investment from the agrifood sector in nanotechnologies, the need for nano-specific regulation in this area hasn't been recognised as a priority by the federal government," says Lyons. | |
She says the nano-agrifood industry will be worth more than US$20 billion by 2010, with heavy investment from companies like Syngenta, Monsanto, Kraft Foods and Heinz. | |
Lyons says one of the claimed agricultural benefits for nanotechnology is the development of more efficient methods of applying pesticides. | |
For example, creating nano-sized versions of pesticide molecules could lead to nanopesticide emulsions that are more stable, more toxic to pests and better absorbed into plants, she says. | |
But Lyons says the same characteristics that make nanopesticides desirable could also present new risks to humans or the environment. | |
For example, the ability for nanoparticles to penetrate the surface of plants may mean they also penetrate into edible parts of the crop, she says. | |
Read the full story here. |
Source: ABC Science Online |
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