SciDev.Net

The International Risk Governance Council recognises that nanotechnology can potentially lead to improvements in medical diagnostics and water treatment but argues that the use of this technology comes with significant human and environmental risks that are more complex and far-reaching than many other innovations.

In response to these risks, the council's nanotechnology project has developed a generic approach to risk governance that is summarised, together with key recommendations for action, in a White Paper and policy brief.