Nanotech Consumer Product Recalled in Germany.

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Nanotech Consumer Product Recalled in Germany Glass-treating spray containing

nanoparticles may have medical problems in many consumers Ann M. Thayer

Excerpts:

On March 31, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) issued a

warning against using a household product containing nanoparticles that has led

to what is apparently the first recall of a nanotechnology-based product. In a

period of less than two weeks, regional poison control centers in Germany

received about 80 reports of people coughing or complaining of fever and

headache, and several people were hospitalized with pulmonary edema, after using

" Magic Nano " surface-sealing sprays.

Cleaning-roduct manufacturer Kleinmann GmbH, which packages and sells the

sprays, quickly withdrew aerosol formulations that also contain a propellant and

warned against their further use. The company has sold the products in pump

bottles for more than two years and has had no reports of problems. The sprays

are designed for treating glass and ceramic surfaces to make them water- and

dirt-repellant for easier cleaning.

Magic Nano products contain silica and silicone nanoparticles as well as

ethanol, water, and other ingredients, according to the poison control center

GIZ-Nord. Organizations seeking better risk assessments, if not outright

controls, for nanomaterials responded quickly to news of the recall. Placing the

blame on the nanoparticles, Patrick Lin, research director of the Nanoethics

Group, says, " This should serve as a wake-up call to regulators, industry, and

the public that nanotechnology’s risks are not just theoretical, but all too

real. "

Taking a more cautionary position, Richard Denison, senior scientist at

Environmental Defense, asked, " Isn't it time we learned to understand and

address risks before we market products like these to consumers? " The public

interest group wants to see more research into environmental, health, and safety

risks along with associated regulatory policies. .

 

Chemical & Engineering News

ISSN 0009-2347

2006 American Chemical Society

 

" Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest

of life by the power of the spirit. " - Aurobindo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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