From: Adrian Tymes (wingcat@pacbell.net)
Date: Sat May 10 2003 - 11:53:39 MDT
--- Harvey Newstrom <mail@HarveyNewstrom.com> wrote:
> Anders Sandberg wrote,
> > Subject: HUMOR: Nanotechnologist lung
> > If the technician subsequently breathes them in,
> it is quite
> > possible that they will lodge in his or her lungs,
> and begin to build a
> > civilization there.
> > ...
<blinks> You're just discovering that site now? I've
been following
http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/periodictable.html
since the start.
> All humor aside, nanotech molecules are small enough
> to go through rubber
> gloves, face masks and even skin in many cases.
> Most people who
> discuss/predict nanotechnology don't realize that
> nano materials will
> probably be extremely dangerous biohazards.
Actually, I would suspect this would not be the case.
Nanotech molecules, especially the early versions,
will
probably be on the large side, and thus easily
blockable by rubber gloves, face masks, and even skin.
Of course, certain types of said molecules may be
designed to tear down such barriers, but those can be
handled similar to acid - albeit gaseous acid in some
cases - by simply storing them in containers that they
can't eat through, and acknowledging that anything
placed inside their volume is likely to be damaged or
lost. Any which can't tear through barriers will be
amply blocked by standard biomedical safety gear.
Under the right circumstances, even a dirty diaper can
be (has been) a weapon of mass disruption, if not
destruction.
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