The Washington, D.C.-based Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) reports that nanotechnology consumer products continue to grow at a consistent pace. Over 1,300 manufacturer-identified, nanotechnology-enabled products have entered the commercial marketplace around the world, according to the group’s most recent update to its five-year-old inventory. “The use of nanotechnology in consumer products continues to grow on a rapid and consistent basis,” says PEN Director David Rejeski. “When we launched the inventory in March 2006 it contained 212 products. If the current trend continues, the number of products could reach 3,400 by 2020.” The most common nanotech products are health and fitness items, representing 56 percent of all items listed. The most common nanomaterial is nanoscale silver, with 24 percent of all products using silver nanoparticles. Environmental, health and safety research strategies will need to be better coordinated, PEN says, especially with the increasing number of products coming from countries outside the United States. “The initial goal of the inventory was to help educate consumers and encourage regulatory bodies to build internal capacity to track products. Unfortunately, as more and more nano-enabled products enter the marketplace, and despite ten years and billions of dollars of investment through the National Nanotechnology Initiative, oversight challenges for agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission still exist,” according to Dr. Todd Kuiken, a research associate with PEN. The article, and a link to the inventory, can be viewed online at the link below.