From the Publisher: Interested in Nanotechnology but Can't Bear to Wade through Detailed Technical Reports? While reports on nanotechnology by research and marketing firms as well as governmental agencies are comprehensive and insightful, they can often be tedious to read, expensive to procure, and generally unknown to nonexperts interested in this technology. Offering a reader-friendly and affordable alternative to these options, Nanotechnology: Health and Environmental Risks introduces risk analysis as a tool for responsible environmental decision making in nanotechnology development and provides examples of past, present, and future technologies that demonstrate the need for and benefits of evaluating the risks of nanotechnology. The Most Up-to-Date and Relevant Information on the Impact of Nanotechnology on Our Health and Surroundings. After outlining the steps of risk analysis, the book examines the opportunity costs inherent in current nanotechnology development. It then introduces life cycle analysis, the toxicology of nanoscale materials, and the known impacts of specific nanoscale materials on people. The text also covers environmental impacts and exposure, followed by chapters on the state-of-the-art tools that adapt life cycle thinking into risk analysis for nanotechnology. The final chapters describe current practices for managing the hazards and risks of nanoscale materials and explore the numerous international efforts that address the risks, science, and policies of nanotechnology. Recognize and Overcome the Risks Involving Nanotechnology. With full-color images and insights into key health and environmental aspects of nanotechnology, this resource shows how the risk analysis of nanotechnology can play an important role in creating a sustainable future.