“There is no such thing as a safe technology” said Dr. Sasitorn Aueviriyavit, NANOTEC researcher at Nano Safety and Risk Assessment Lab. “What we can do as researchers is to be aware of safety aspects and minimize/prevent it from happening especially for nanomaterials as they are very small and can be inhaled or absorbed by the body”.
Speaking to graduates and PhD students at Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) on October 18 Dr. Sasitorn said that nanotechnology is here to stay. The problem is not whether we like it or not but that there will be an increase in the use of nanotechnology in everyday life. The market is just too big and worth billions of dollars. For this reason, it is necessary for the public to be aware of topics that are related to affects that nanomaterials may have on human health and natural environment.
Dr. Sasitorn used current research activities that are taking place at Nano Safety and Risk Assessment Lab as a tool to illustrate the safety topic which generated interesting inquiries from the audience. Inquiries pertaining to various exposures of nanomaterials such as lung and inhalation, gastrointestinal tract and oral, and systemic were discussed at length.
Dr. Sasitorn also agreed to a statement made during the discussion that we should not be afraid of nano particles such as silver since they are being used in various commercial products and private sectors are taking precautions when using them.
L-R: Prof. Hornyak (AIT), Dr. Sasitorn, quantum dots