From: Harvey Newstrom (mail@HarveyNewstrom.com)
Date: Sat May 10 2003 - 19:50:56 MDT
Anders Sandberg wrote,
> > > 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.
>
> The issue is rather whether they might be hazardous to
> breathe in. Asbestos becomes dangerous because the grains
> have a size causing macrophages in the lung to overeat and
> die, and similarly nanodevices might have nasty effects just
> due to size or indigestibility constraints.
>
> None of these problems are showstoppers, and I think ETC are
> grasping at straws in creating FUD about nanotech. None of
> the approaches to nanotech right now seem to be likely to
> produce free flying stuff, and it is unlikely anybody would
> start releasing nanodevices into the environment without
> testing them. The FUD approach is to suggest that these
> things *could* happen, and hence horrible dangers could occur
> and must be prevented from the start. A realistic approach is
> to set up safety guidelines based on past experience and
> plausible extrapolations. But who screams higher?
I agree totally. My expertise is in security, so I agree that we can
develop safety protocols that will work. While it is FUD to point out these
possibilities as justification for stopping nanotech, I believe it is just
as unrealistic to deny that the problems could happen or to claim that
nanotech doesn't need any safety features. I don't see why pointing out
potential flaws is always seen as a negative thing. In my job, the purpose
of foreseeing these problems in advance is so we can fix them and not have
any problems. This is a good thing, not a bad thing to do.
-- Harvey Newstrom, CISSP, IAM, GSEC, IBMCP <www.HarveyNewstrom.com> <www.Newstaff.com>
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