THE SCIENCE OF SMALL!

There is a lot of “buzz” about nanotechnology at the moment; the science

of the small is making a big splash. According to some pundits, the
development of nanotechnology heralds a technological revolution as
powerful as the invention of the transistor or the silicon chip. If this is
true then one would expect the ethical issues raised by this technology to
be correspondingly profound
 IMPACTS OF
NANOTECHNOLOGY
SOCIAL ECONOMIC
1 2 IMPACTS
IMPACTS

ECOLOGICAL
3 ETHICAL IMPACTS 4 IMPACTS
 SOCIAL
1
IMPACTS
 Nanotechnology can tout its benefits in terms of new consumer
products, improvements to quality of life, and expanded lifestyle
possibilities.
 New drug delivery systems, diagnostic devices, and medical
implants based upon or containing nanotechnology have recently
been developed or are about to enter widespread use. The result
of these developments will be improved health and expanded
lifespan, at least for those who can access this technology.
 Medical therapies involving nanotechnology are likely to be
expensive and available only in wealthy industrialised nations.
This is likely to change over time as nanotechnology becomes
cheaper and manufacturing techniques “trickle down” to nations
at the periphery of the global economic order.

 In Agriculture sector it increases productivity, improve the soil

quality, stimulate plant growth and provide smart monitoring and
marketing
 ECONOMIC
2 IMPACTS

MEDICIN MILITARY CITIZENS AND CITIZENS

E APPLICATIONS GOVERNMENTS AND
CORPORATI
ONS
 MEDICIN
E:
Medicine is an area of applied science where
nanotechnology is likely to achieve some of its most
7 immediate and impressive applications.
improvements in medical technology should save
money in the area of healthcare. Yet a moment’s
thought will reveal that, while some therapies may be
cheaper than other therapies, money spent on
healthcare ultimately succeeds only in shifting the
expenses involved in keeping individuals alive to a
later date. The longer people live, the more expensive
it is to keep them alive to that age.
MILITARY APPLICATIONS :

Nanotechnology can be expected to impact on social power

relations because of its potential military applications and its
potential in surveillance technologies. The development of
nanotechnology might contribute to terrorism is that it may
exacerbate existing trends towards asymmetric warfare. If the
military forces of the industrialised 10 world become more
powerful difficult to attack and defeat due to nanotechnology
this may force those involved in conflict with them to adopt
new tactics, including sabotage and attacks on civilian and
other “soft” targets
CITIZENS AND
GOVERNMENTS:
The improvements in electronics and computer memory that
nanotechnology makes possible also facilitate the capacity of organisations
to share, collect, store, and analyze data. Developments in nanotechnology
can therefore be expected to greatly increase the ability of governments to
keep track of their citizens

CITIZENS AND
CORPORATIONS : a dramatic impact on the ability of corporations
This technology is likely to have
and governments to gather information about individuals. This information will
be used both to allow corporations to better manage their services to potential
customers and also to keep a close eye on “terrorists” and other political
dissidents.
 ETHICAL
3 IMPACTS
Based on the factors that influences the perception and awareness of the
nanotechnology in agriculture, there are quite a number of ethical issues
that arise. In the face of the potential risks that nanotechnology in
agriculture pose to human health and environment, should the industry
continue using these nanosystems despite the uncertainty? Should there be
a mandatory requirement for labeling of nanoenabled agricultural products,
particularly food stuffs? Is it ethical that public/government institutions
should continue funding development of nanotechnology products for use
in agriculture despite the current levels of uncertainty
 4 ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS
The nanotechnology leads to the increased quality of the
manufactured health products, making water and soil pollutants
safe and recyclability of the materials, development of other
jobs and technologies associated with the profession of
agriculture and other streams. Nanotechnology helps in
preventing solid wastes and helps in managing soil pollution
and water pollution.
Conclusion :
Many of the social and ethical issues associated with emerging
nanotechnologies are determinate, immediate, distinct, significant and
actionable. Consideration of and responsiveness to them are needed now
in order to anticipate and proactively address, as far as possible, potential
negative aspects of emerging nanotechnologies, as well as to identify and
promote opportunities for nanotechnology to contribute to human
flourishing in just and sustainable ways. This is precisely the justification
for including responsible development as an objective within the NNI.
Nanotechnology in Medicine
and Agriculture is going to
have a major impact on
survival of human race
---Bernard
Marcus

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