Say 鈥渘anotechnology,鈥� and geeks imagine iPhones, laptops and flash drives. But more than 60 percent of the 580 products in a newly updated inventory of nanotechnology consumer products are such 鈥渦n-geeky鈥� items as tennis racquets, clothing, and health products.
Maintained by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at , the updated inventory includes Head庐 NanoTitanium Tennis Racquets, Eddie Bauer庐 Water Shorts with Nano-Dry庐 technology, Nano-In Foot Deodorant Powder/Spray, and Burt鈥檚 Bees庐 sunscreen with 鈥渘atural Titanium Dioxide mineral鈥icronized into a nano sized particle.鈥�
Since the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies launched the world鈥檚 first online inventory of manufacturer-identified nanotech goods in March 2006, the number of items has increased 175 percent鈥攆rom 220 to 580 products. There are 356 products in the health and fitness category鈥攖he inventory鈥檚 largest category鈥攁nd 66 products in the food and beverage category. One of the largest subcategories is cosmetics with 89 products. All are available in shopping malls or over the Internet. The list includes merchandise from such well-known brands as Samsung, Chanel, Black & Decker, Wilson, L.L. Bean, Lancome and L鈥橭real.
The nanomaterial of choice appears to be silver鈥攚hich manufacturers claim is in 139 products or nearly 25 percent of inventory鈥攆ar outstripping carbon, gold, or silica.
鈥淭he use of nanotechnology and nanomaterials in consumer products and industrial applications is growing rapidly, and the products listed in the inventory are just the tip of the iceberg,鈥� said Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies science advisor Andrew Maynard. 鈥淗ow consumers respond to these early products鈥攊n food, electronics, health care, clothing and cars鈥攚ill be a bellwether for broader market acceptance of nanotechnologies in the future. This is especially true given that the Project鈥檚 recent poll shows seventy percent of the public still knows little or nothing about the technology.鈥�
Source: Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
