Space Industry and Business News  
Nanotech In Your Vitamins

Supplements that claim to use nanotech.
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 21, 2009
The ability of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the safety of dietary supplements using nanomaterials is severely limited by lack of information, lack of resources and the agency's lack of statutory authority in certain critical areas, according to a new expert report released by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN).

The report, A Hard Pill To Swallow: Barriers to Effective FDA Regulation of Nanotechnology-Based Dietary Supplements, details the main problems at FDA in regulating nano-enabled dietary supplements and offers a host of recommendations for improving oversight of such products.

"Historically, the regulation of dietary supplements has been a significant challenge for FDA, and the fact that some of those products are now being manufactured using nanotechnology creates an additional layer of complexity," says William B. Schultz, a co-author of the report and a former FDA official.

Little is known about the use of engineered nanoparticles in the dietary supplement market. Current law requires supplement manufacturers to disclose limited information about their products, and what information is available is a result of dietary supplement manufacturers touting the use of nanotechnology when marketing their products, according to the report.

"While it is not possible to precisely determine the prevalence of dietary supplements using engineered nanoparticles, it is likely that the public's exposure to these products will grow significantly in the next several years," says Lisa Barclay, also a co-author of the report.

According to an inventory of federal environmental, health and safety research on nanotechnology maintained by PEN, the U.S. government is spending less than $1 million annually to study the direct impact of nanoscale materials on the gastrointestinal tract.

"It is not clear that the supplement industry is conducting the rigorous testing needed either to understand the effects of nanoscale ingredients in its products or to back up the product claims. This means that consumers are potentially exposed to unknown risks that should be balanced with the possible benefits of taking these supplements," says David Rejeski, PEN's director.

Related Links
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies
Nano Technology News From SpaceMart.com
Computer Chip Architecture, Technology and Manufacture



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Easy Assembly Of Electronic Biological Chips
University Park PA (SPX) Jan 20, 2009
A handheld, ultra-portable device that can recognize and immediately report on a wide variety of environmental or medical compounds may eventually be possible, using a method that incorporates a mixture of biologically tagged nanowires onto integrated circuit chips, according to Penn State researchers.







  • China wary about the power of netizens in 2009: analysts
  • Autodesk exec Carol Bartz to become Yahoo! CEO: WSJ
  • Experience High-Speed Data Communications With ThurayaIP
  • New Yahoo! CEO a no-nonsense Silicon Valley veteran

  • Japan Resets H2A Launch To Jan 23
  • First ULA Delta IV Heavy NRO Mission Successfully Lifts Off From Cape Canaveral
  • New Skies NSS-9 Satellite Arrives In Kourou For February 12 Launch
  • Sea Launch Selected To Launch Intelsat 17

  • New Turbines Can Cut Fuel Consumption For Business Jets
  • Air China expects to post 'significant loss' for 2008
  • Nations demand climate plan from air, maritime industries
  • Heathrow expansion to get green light despite protests: reports

  • Increasing Joint Battlefield Operation Effectiveness
  • Australia Chips In A Spare Quarter For Boeing Wideband Global SATCOM Bird
  • Boeing Completes Critical Design Review For FAB-T Software-Defined Radio
  • Boeing Increases Capability Of On-Orbit US Navy Satellite

  • Next Generation Cloaking Device Demonstrated
  • Raytheon Sensor Passes Space Simulation Test
  • Lockheed Martin Begins Key Test Of First SBIRS Geo Satellite With New Flight Software
  • Princeton Researchers Discover New Type Of Laser

  • Stevens New Director Of Communications And Public Outreach For Space Foundation
  • ATK Appoints Blake Larson To Lead Space Systems Group
  • Berndt Feuerbacher New President Of IAU
  • Orbital Appoints Frank Culbertson And Mark Pieczynski To Management

  • First Global Hawk Unmanned System For Environmental Science Research
  • Landmark Year Ahead For Earth Observation Science Missions
  • Satellite to keep eye on Ecuadoran turtle
  • Mapping In A One Meter Sea Level Rise

  • Key To Future Of Mobile LBS In China Is The GPS Phone And Smartphone
  • Garmin zumo 660 - Designed By Bikers For Bikers
  • French Digital Maps Added To NEXTMap Europe Countrywide Mapping Database
  • ViewSonic Selects Where 2 Get It Mobile Locators To Turn Shoppers Into Buyers

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement