Nano Technology: It's Everywhere. And We Don't Know It.

It's been shown to damage dna, contributing to such diseases as cancer and heart disease. 

(March 24) -- "For almost two years, molecular biologist Bénédicte Trouiller doused the drinking water of scores of lab mice with nano-titanium dioxide, the most common nanomaterial used in consumer products today.  She knew that earlier studies conducted in test tubes and petri dishes had shown the same particle could cause disease. But her tests at a lab at UCLA's School of Public Health were in vivo -- conducted in living organisms -- and thus regarded by some scientists as more relevant in assessing potential human harm. Halfway through, Trouiller became alarmed: Consuming the nano-titanium dioxide was damaging or destroying the animals' DNA and chromosomes. The biological havoc continued as she repeated the studies again and again. It was a significant finding: The degrees of DNA damage and genetic instability that the 32-year-old investigator documented can be "linked to all the big killers of man, namely cancer, heart disease, neurological disease and aging," says Professor Robert Schiestl, a genetic toxicologist who ran the lab at UCLA's School of Public Health where Trouiller did her research."

And where is this ugly technology to be found? 

"It's 'in everything from medicine capsules and nutritional supplements, to food icing and additives, to skin creams, oils and toothpaste,' Schiestl says. He adds that at least 2 million pounds of nanosized titanium dioxide are produced and used in the U.S. each year."



And do manufacturers have to tell the consumer their products contain nano technology?
 
"Consumers have virtually no way of knowing whether the products they purchase contain nanomaterials, as under current U.S. laws it is completely up to manufacturers what to put on their labels."
 
And is there any movement from Uncle Sam to change this insanity?
 
"...most federal agencies are doing little to nothing to ensure public safety."