Grant to Support Study of Public Perception of Nanotechnology Health Risks

March 24, 2008
The National Science Foundation granted a North Carolina State University researcher $1.4 million to study how the public interprets information about the potential health risks of nanotechnology.

David Berube, Ph.D., a professor of communication and author of Nanohype: The Truth Beyond the Nanotechnology Buzz, intends to use the 4-year grant to develop a way for scientists to convey research findings that are more easily absorbed by the public.

“When the public tries to understand technical information on health and safety, they do not turn to scientific data,” Berube pointed out. Instead, he said people “use their own preconceived ideas and biases” to determine what is safe, and whether or not their conclusions are supported by science. This includes public perceptions of nanotechnology and its associated risks and safety issues.

The emerging science of nanotechnology, which generally is defined as technology using substances measuring 100 nanometers or less, is expected to have widespread uses in medicine, consumer products and industrial processes. The technology currently is used in a variety of products, such as cosmetics and sunscreens.

Berube acknowledged that studying how people understand and perceive risks associated with nanotechnology can be difficult considering that “a lot of this information is about life and death, and most people have trouble understanding the difference between a risk of 1 in 1 billion and a risk of 1 in 1,000.”

He stressed the importance of finding the best way to distribute accurate information regarding nanotechnology not only to the public, but also to state or federal regulators. As a result, regulators can make informed decisions about what is or is not safe.

The grant also will support a 2-day conference, “Communicating Risk in the 21st Century,” in Raleigh, N.C., this summer.

About the Author

Laura Walter

Laura Walter was formerly senior editor of EHS Today. She is a subject matter expert in EHS compliance and government issues and has covered a variety of topics relating to occupational safety and health. Her writing has earned awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE), the Trade Association Business Publications International (TABPI) and APEX Awards for Publication Excellence. Her debut novel, Body of Stars (Dutton) was published in 2021.

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