OECD nanotechnology conference highlights need to protect human health and the environment - SafeNano, UK
Initial accounts of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)'s "Conference on Potential Environmental Benefits of Nanotechnology: Fostering Safe Innovation-Led Growth," indicate that speakers acknowledged the need to protect human health and the environment whilst moving forward with the many innovative environmental applications of nanotechnology.

Strong growth forecast for nanotechnology food packaging - NanoWerk, USA
The applications of nanotechnology in the food and beverage sector are only now emerging, but these are predicted to grow rapidly in the coming years. The rapid use of nano-based packaging in a wide range of consumer products has also raised a number of safety, environmental, ethical, policy and regulatory issues. The main concerns stem from the lack of knowledge with regard to the interactions of nano-sized materials at the molecular or physiological levels and their potential effects and impacts on consumers health and the environment.

Which sunblock protects my skin - and the sea? - The Guardian, UK
Sunscreens increasingly contain nanoparticles, smaller than one one-thousandth the diameter of a human hair. Often this simply enables a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) to dry clear and disappear into the skin rather than forming a white paste that takes all day to rub in. But for something so tiny, these nanoparticles cause massive debate, the main charge being that their application has outrun regulation.

Cellular toxicity of titanium dioxide nanotubes and nanowires - NanoWerk, USA
Researchers in Switzerland have taken a closer look at the fate of titanium dioxide (TiO2) based nanofilaments in the body. Their results are cause for concern. "TiO2 nanoparticles are widely used as UV blockers in sunscreens" says Arnaud Magrez. "Their cytotoxicity has been tested before and they were found to be rather non-toxic. Our new study shows that TiO2 based nanofilaments, however, can be quite toxic."

Nanotech particles affect brain development in mice - EurekAlert
Maternal exposure to nanoparticles of titanium dioxide (TiO2) affects the expression of genes related to the central nervous system in developing mice. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology found that mice whose mothers were injected with the nanoparticles while pregnant showed alteration in gene expression related to neurological dysfunction.