While there are many benefits to nanotechnology, there’s also the potential for serious harm. Nanoparticles are between 1 and 100 nanometers in size. A nanometer is 100,000 times thinner than a strand of human hair. They are so small that they’re able to pass through cell membranes in organisms. So this can cause problems in the human body and other organisms. For instance, they have the potential to get bigger or clump together and build up in one area, which would be detrimental in areas like the kidneys.

 

Another danger is that the properties of nanoparticles may change in unpredictable ways. If a nanoparticle based coating was worn away from a surface it was designed to be on, it could get into our water systems where there aren’t filters small enough to strain them out and control where they end up.

 

According to McDaniel, there aren’t many regulations on the use of nanoparticles because it’s such a new field. This is why the research carried out by students and scientists like McDaniel and his classmates is so critical to the development of nanotechnology.

 

McDaniel explained that experiments like this will help reassure the general population about the safety of nanotechnology and help to determine in what situations it could be harmful and to deal with problems that arise.

 

“Like any new technology we come out with there’s going to be some downsides, we just need to be ready as a society. As long as we cover more and more bases that harm will be smaller.”