GAO Nanotechnology Report - March 2008
This post was written by David Wagner and Jesse Ash.
In March 2008, The Government Accounting Office put out a Report on Nanotechnology. The report reviews what each agency has accomplished to date on researching environmental, health and safety risks. Of the $1.3 billion allocated to nanotechnology research in 2006, $37 million was devoted to research associated with risks. The report concludes that agencies are still in the formative stages of identifying and prioritizing risks and need better guidance from the Office of Science and Technology and OMB on reporting their research findings. Companies manufacturing, integrating, or selling products containing nanomaterials should take notice that the government is taking risk-related issues seriously and will continue to spend a great deal of time and money looking at the risks associated with nanotechnology.
