A Basis for Action - Commission de l'Ã©thique de la science et de la ...

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Position Statement of the Commission de l'éthique de la science et de la technologie Nanobiotechnology and nanomedicine Like other authors 45 consulted in preparing this position statement, Conseil de la science et de la technologie indicated in its own position statement the difficulty of defining nanotechnology, particularly due to its multidisciplinarity, but also because biotechnology is already working with DNA molecules and viruses at the nanoscale. 46 According to the Council, “one important criterion is the use of nanomaterials or the creation of new instruments or devices that operate at the nanoscale in biotechnology, a field that uses microtechnology and conventional molecular synthetic chemistry methods.” 47 In short, biotechnology uses nanotechnology techniques to develop tools for manipulating living organisms, studying them, or using them or their functional mechanisms to create, at the nanoscale, new materials or devices with particular properties. Nanobiotechnologists develop important biological imaging* applications and identify techniques used to make biochips*, labs-on-a-chip*, and biosensors*. At the intersection of chemistry, biology, and physics, nanobiotechnology applications are of primary interest in the field of health, but also the environment, agriculture, and the food industry. Nanometrology Nanoscience and nanotechnology applications cannot develop without proper instrumentation; theoretical and practical progress at the nanoscale is closely tied to advances in this area. 48 Hence the importance of nanometrology, which studies the measurement of nanometric structures and physical phenomena occurring at the nanoscale, and also deals with the measuring devices used to evaluate the quantities in question. Nanometrology enables scientists to explore the nanoworld and design products using nanotechnology. Apart from measuring length at the nanoscale, nanometrology also deals with force, mass, and the optical, electrical, magnetic, chemical, and other properties of matter at this same scale. 49 It is essential to measuring nanoparticle exposure in the workplace, evaluating the toxicity of nanometric products, and establishing international standards for the sizing and characterization* of matter at the nanoscale. 50 While standardization plays a key role in risk analysis and quality control, there are currently no standards at the nanoscale. The lack of calibration—a requirement for officially recognized measurements—is not only an obstacle to the scientific and technological replication of results obtained by laboratories or firms, it also prevents regulatory health and safety requirements from being 45 Including OFFICE PARLEMENTAIRE D’ÉVALUATION DES CHOIX SCIENTIFIQUES ET TECHNOLOGIQUES (France), op. cit., which indicates that “a reading of various authors shows that there is currently no consensus regarding the definition. Some view this as a stigma characteristic of a nascent or rapidly developing discipline” [our translation], p. 23. 46 CONSEIL DE LA SCIENCE ET DE LA TECHNOLOGIE, op. cit., p. 17. 47 Ibid. [our translation]. 48 THE ROYAL SOCIETY & THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING (United Kingdom), op. cit., p. 13. 49 Ibid., p. 13–16. 50 Ibid., p. 76. 16 Ethics and Nanotechnology: A Basis for Action
Position Statement of the Commission de l'éthique de la science et de la technologie put in place. 51 For example, there are no standardized procedures as yet for measuring nanoparticle size—a significant feature given that penetration depth and route (respiratory tracts, skin, blood, etc.) depend on particle size. This means that, depending on technique, different measurements may be obtained for the same nanomaterial sample and, consequently, the determination (or characterization) of its properties may also differ. Nanometrology is therefore crucial to standardizing measurements and ensuring their replication. In the United States, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working to establish standard procedures and samples. The instrumentation used in nanometrology draws mainly on scanning probe microscopy (scanning tunneling microscope, atomic force microscope), as well as electronic microscopy (scanning and transmission). Other techniques are based on the use of laser beams, X-rays, or gas absorption. The semiconductor industry uses nanometrology extensively, particularly for product quality control. Nanometrology instrumentation is also essential to work at the nanoscale in chemistry, optics, and biology. EXPECTATIONS AND CONCERNS WORTH CONSIDERING Nanotechnology probably holds greater promise and spurs more hope than any other technology that has emerged since the second half of the 20th century, including information and communications technologies and biotechnology. Its newness and the range of technological innovation opportunities it brings raise fears that are largely fueled by literature and film. While these fears are not necessarily founded, this new technology still raises certain questions and ethical concerns regarding the proven or hypothetical risks it may entail, particularly regarding health and the environment, as well as other areas. Projected benefits Appendix 1 provides a summary of the possible benefits of nanotechnology in many areas if research delivers the expected results. Specific details on the health, environment, information technology, agriculture, and food sectors—the areas of greatest importance to this ethical assessment it is believed—round out this portrait. Occasionally, the Commission has added examples of work underway in Québec that ties in with the topic in question. In the health sector If nanotechnology delivers on its promises, it will impact all areas of medicine by improving diagnosis, ensuring better care, and compensating for acquired or congenital disabilities. 52 51 Ibid., p. 13. 52 OFFICE PARLEMENTAIRE…, op. cit., p. 17–29. Chapter 1 – A New and Emerging World: 17 The Universe of Nanotechnology
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Position Statement of the Commissio
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CONCLUSION It is with great curiosi
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GLOSSARY ∗ Atomic force microscop
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BIBLIOGRAPHY ∗ Sources cited: ABE
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APPENDIX 2 Summary of applications
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APPENDIX 3 Proposed taxonomy of the
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The Consultation and Information Ac
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MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION DE L’É
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