nanophobia or toxic nanotech

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New Products Bring Side Effect: Nanophobia

By NATASHA SINGER

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/fashion/04skin.html

IT sounds like a plot straight out of a science-fiction novel by

Crichton. Toiletry companies formulate new cutting-edge creams and

lotions that contain tiny components designed to work more effectively.

But those minuscule building blocks have an unexpected drawback: the

ability to penetrate the skin, swarm through the body and overwhelm

organs like the liver.

Humans have long lived in dread of such nightmare scenarios in which

swarms of creatures attack. Alfred Hitchcock envisioned menacing flocks

in " The Birds. " In the 1990 film " Arachnophobia " a killer spider arrives

in the United States, where it attacks and multiplies.

And now comes nanophobia, the fear that tiny components engineered on

the nanoscale --- that is, 100 nanometers or less --- could run amok

inside the body. A human hair, for example, is 50,000 to 100,000

nanometers in diameter. A nanoparticle of titanium dioxide in a

sunscreen could be as small as 15 nanometers. (One nanometer equals a

billionth of a meter.)

" The smaller a particle, the further it can travel through tissue, along

airways or in blood vessels, " said Dr. Adnan Nasir, a clinical assistant

professor of dermatology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel

Hill. " Especially if the nanoparticles are indestructible and accumulate

and are not metabolized, if you accumulate them in the organs, the

organs could fail. "

Indeed, some doctors, scientists and consumer advocates are concerned

that many industries are adopting nanotechnology ahead of studies that

would establish whether regular ingestion, inhalation or dermal

penetration of these particles constitute a health or environmental

hazard. Personal care products are simply the lowest hanging fruit.

But people are already exposed to nanoparticles. Stoves and toaster

ovens emit ultrafine particles of 2 to 30 nanometers, according to the

National Institute of Standards and Technology; the researchers reported

last month that long-term contact with such appliances could constitute

a large exposure to the smallest of nanoparticles.

Several products already use nano-engineered materials. There are " nano

pants, " stain-resistant chinos and jeans whose fabric contain nano-sized

whiskers that repel oil and dirt, and nanocycles made from carbon

nanotubes that are stronger and lighter than standard steel bicycles.

And in lotions and creams, the use of nanocomponents may create a more

cosmetically elegant effect --- like uniformity or spreadability.

Some ingredients may behave differently as nanoparticles than they do in

larger forms. Nano-sized silver, for example, can act as an

antibacterial agent on the skin. Larger particles of zinc oxide and

titanium dioxide result in white pasty sunscreens; but as nanoparticles,

they appear more transparent.

When it comes to beauty products, however, some consumer advocates are

concerned that dynamic nanoparticles could pose risks to the skin or, if

they penetrate the skin, to other parts of the body. Mineral sunscreens

have attracted the most attention.

" Substances that are perfectly benign could be toxic at the nano scale, "

said Hansen, a senior scientist at Consumers Union, the company

behind Consumer Reports. " Because they are so small, they could go

places in the body that could not be done before. "

This month, the magazine published a study it had commissioned that

found mineral nanoparticles in five sunscreens, even though four of the

companies had denied using them. In October, Dr. Hansen sent a letter to

the Food and Drug Administration commissioner, asking the agency to

require cosmetics and sunscreen manufacturers to run safety tests on

nano scale ingredients. In the letter, he cited a few studies published

in scientific journals that reported that exposure to nanoparticles of

titanium dioxide caused damage to the organs of laboratory animals and

human cell cultures.

But cosmetics industry representatives said there was no evidence that

personal care products that contain nano-size components constitute a

health hazard. Furthermore, no rigorous clinical trials have been

published showing that cosmetics with nanocomponents caused health

problems. A review of the potential risks of nanomaterials, carried out

for the European Center for Toxicology in 2006, concluded that

sunscreens with metal nanoparticles were unlikely to penetrate healthy

skin, but it did raise the question of whether safety studies should

examine if such materials may penetrate damaged skin.

" It's very difficult to get anything through the skin, " said

, the executive vice president for science of the Personal Care

Products Council, an industry trade group in Washington. " The skin is a

very effective barrier. "

Indeed, some nanotechnology researchers said it was illogical to assume

that a nano-size component inherently carries greater risk than a larger

component. Furthermore, some say cosmetics may contain molecules like a

silicone fluid called cyclopentasiloxane that are even smaller than

nanomaterials.

" I think it's a double standard because nanoparticles are less likely to

go through the skin than solutions where you are using single

molecules, " said S. Langer, a chemical engineering professor at

the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. He is developing

nanoparticles for the targeted delivery of cancer medications, and is a

founder of Living Proof, a cosmetics company that makes hair products.

" The molecules in a cream are certainly going to be smaller than a

nanoparticle. "

The Food and Drug Administration does not require manufacturers to list

the format of ingredients on labels. The agency does require cosmetics

manufacturers to ensure that their products are safe for use; in 2006,

the agency created its own task force to investigate the safety of

engineered nanomaterials.

Ken Marenus, the senior vice president of regulatory affairs worldwide

at the Estée Lauder companies, said nanomaterials had to undergo the

same kind of assessment for exposure, risk and dosage levels as any

other cosmetic component. " The same toxicological standards for every

chemical will apply to nano, " he said.

Dr. of the Personal Care Products Council estimated that several

thousand sunscreens and cosmetics currently use some kind of nanoscale

component.

Cor soap, for example, uses 50-nanometer particles of silver combined

with silica that are smaller than the size of a skin pore. The material

is designed to enter the pores and kill bacteria.

" The silver suffocates the bacteria and then you rinse it off with

water, " said McKinley, the chief executive of Cor. Although a

study has shown that nanosilver can permeate broken skin, Ms. McKinley

said the soap was safe because it contains only a limited amount of

nanosilver and the particles do not remain on the skin.

Indeed, using nanoderivatives of precious metals is becoming a trend.

Last year, Chantecaille introduced Nano Gold Energizing Cream, a $420

face cream that contains 5-nanometer particles of 24-carat gold

encapsulated in silk fibers. Sylvie Chantecaille, the chief executive of

the company, said the capsules delivered the gold particles, which work

as an antioxidant, into the surface layers of the skin. " It's a very

effective way to transport beneficial ingredients, " she said.

But many beauty companies are shying away from discussing minuscule

particles in their cosmetics. And that kind of avoidance may itself

stoke nanophobia. For example, when La Prairie introduced its Cellular

Cream Platinum Rare earlier this year, the company sent out press

materials promoting " nano-sized Hesperidin Smart Crystals to protect

DNA " in the formula. But, in a phone interview, Sven Gohla, the

company's vice president for research and development, distanced the

brand from nanotechnology. Just because the particles of hesperidin, a

flavonoid, in the formula are small does not mean they are manufactured

nanotechnology, he said.

Last month, a consumer group in London called Which? published a survey

it had conducted of 67 cosmetics companies on the prevalence and safety

testing of nanomaterials in personal care products. Only 17 companies

responded, of which eight acknowledged using nanomaterials.

" When nanotechnology was hot, everybody wanted to talk about 'nano this,

nano that.' Look at the iPod nano, " said Dr. Hansen of Consumers Union.

" But now that the concerns have come out, people are not so sure the

word nano is a good thing to be touted. "

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