Environmental, Ethical, and Economical Issues of Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is moving out of its comfort zone of scientific discourse. As new products go to market and national and international organizations roll out public-engagement programs on nanotechnology to discuss environmental and health issues, various sectors of the public are beginning to discuss what the controversy is all about. Nongovernmental organizations have long since reacted; however, now the social sciences have begun to study the cultural phenomenon of nanotechnology, thus extending discourses and opening out nanotechnology to whole new social dimensions. Social dimensions and their newly constructed imaginings around nanotechnology intersect with the economy, ecology, health, governance, and illusory futures. There is always a need for a more than just an ELSI (ethical, legal, and social implications) sideshow within nanotechnology. The collective public imaginings of nanotechnology include tangles of science and science fiction, local enterprise, and global transformation, all looking forward toward a sustainable future, while looking back on past debates about science and nature. Nanotechnology is already very much embedded in the social fabric of our life and times. This book will address these new challenges of nanotechnology in detail with up-to-date knowledge on safety risk and ELSI nanotechnology.