Will Labels Make A Difference?

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by Gwyneth K. Shaw | Jan 13, 2012 11:06 am

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Posted to: Environment, Nanotech, Science/ Medical

(NHI Nanoblog) In the debate over the safety of super-small particles in mainstream products, consumers are often left out: In the U.S., there’s no requirement for a product that uses nanotechnology to be specifically labeled. Two Swiss researchers set out to test how a nano-specific label might influence people’s sense of risks and benefits, and found that more information did change their perceptions.

In their paper, published in the scientific journal Risk Analysis, Michael Siegrist and Carmen Keller designed a sunscreen bottle and sent it off to a group of people in Switzerland, along with a questionnaire. The recipients were assigned to six groups: Some got a bottle without a nano-specific label, and the others got some combination of a label and additional information about nanoparticles.

They found that those who got the additional information regarded the nano-enabled sunscreen as more risky, a result that’s not surprising but significant for the ongoing discussion over labeling.

“Labeling consumer products may, therefore, change the public perception of these products,” Siegrist and Keller concluded.

By leveraging the often-amazing properties of ultra-tiny materials, nanotechnology can make airplane wings stronger and help cancer treatments ruthlessly target the bad cells. As nano-enabled products proliferate, however, there’s a big gap between what’s possible and what’s been tested for safety. The smaller size of these materials can sometimes change the way they interact with the world around them, raising serious questions about their impact on health and the environment.

Sunscreens have become a flashpoint in the larger debate over safety, largely because nanoparticles have become so common in these products. The ultra-tiny form of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are widely used, often in formulations labeled as “mineral-based” or “chemical-free.” While a U.S. Food and Drug Administration study found that the tiny particles aren’t easily absorbed into the bloodstream through unbroken skin, other studies suggest there may be some risk.

Consumer advocates and environmental groups have seized on sunscreens, criticizing the FDA for failing to address nano-enabled sunblocks when it released new labeling guidelines last summer. The European Union requires that nano-based products be labeled, and some other countries are exploring voluntary labeling.

In the U.S., however, it’s up to consumers—who generally don’t even know what they’re looking for. Expect advocacy groups to keep up the pressure on federal regulators as the variety of nano-enabled products continues to grow.

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