NANOTECHNOLOGY: IS IT A BENEFIT OR A HEALTH THREAT?

A simple definition of nanotechnology is that it is the engineering of functional

systems at the molecular scale which covers both current work and concepts that
are more advanced. To be more specific, nanotechnology is related to scientific
principles of dealing with materials on nanometer scale, that is 1 nanometer equals
to 1 billionth of a meter. Nanotechnology has given us lots of benefits in our daily
life but at the same time, is it totally safe to use this advanced technology?
These days, nanotechnology can be applied in many sectors such as
cosmetics and industrial sector. According to Sample (2008), for cosmetic purpose,
nanoparticles are used in sun screens for protection from ultraviolet radiation and in
other moisturizers to kill bacteria. In fact, it is used in emulsions to store vitamin in
face creams. Besides, another benefit of nanotechnology is that the nanopigments
are also used in sun screens to reflect and scatter UV light and thus, decreasing the
tendency for us to get skin cancer. (B.Hall, S. Tozer, B.Safford, M.Coroama,
W.Steiling, M.C. Leneveu-Duchmin, C.McNamara & M.Gibney, 2007)
The fact that nanotechnology brings lots of benefits to us, there are also
some argues regarding the safeness of using this product. Herman and Kuechel
(2007) for example, did mention about the test results of the nanoparticles.
According to them, it is very difficult to find studies that show about the
effectiveness of nanotechnology in cosmetics. It may work well but there is no exact
proof showing that it does, since the experimentations of nanoparticles done by
companies are not open to public. In addition to this, Sample (2008) also point out
that most of these cosmetic companies do not carry out enough steps in order to
confirm that these nanoparticles are really safe when combine with cosmetic
products.
Apart from that, there are also issues concerning the side effects of using
nanoparticles which can somehow become quite dangerous. Sample (2008) reveals
that nanotechnology can be considered safe since it does not bring up any safety
issues. However, in some way or another, the tiny particles of this technology can
act in the most unusual ways, for example, becoming toxic in the body. Other than
that, Herman and Kuechel (2007) also discussed that there are concerns with
regards to the safety of this technology. They state that ingredient like titanium
dioxide which is widely used in the nanoparticles, will remain in the skin and
eventually, it can age the skin prematurely.
This issue of safeness of the nanotechnology cannot be considered as a valid
issue as well. According to Herman and Kuechel (2007), currently, the US Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) does not have any sort of legitimate evidence stating
that the ingredients in nanoparticles which are generally used in cosmetic sector
can pose a safety risk to consumers. Besides that, NANODERM indicates that
nanoparticles will not get into the skin even when the skin is damaged. Plus, the

FDA and Europe Union research programme have proved that there are no adverse
effects when titanium dioxide nanopigments are injected into our bodies. (B.Hall et
al., 2007).
As a conclusion, it is true that nanotechnology has given lots of benefits in
our daily and at the same time, there are also issues regarding its safeness.
Therefore, further studies regarding this issue must be done to see whether the
product manufactured using nanoparticles especially cosmetic products, pose a
safety risks or not to the community as mentioned by Herman and Kuechel (2007).