Bioethical Issues of Nanotechnology at a Glance

Abstract

Nanotechnology is considered as an industrial revolution of the third millennium. Advances have a remarkable impact on differ¬ent fields such as medicine, engineering, economy and even politics. However, a wide range of ethical issues has been raised by this innovative science. Many authorities believe that these advancements could lead to irreversible dis¬asters if not lim¬ited by ethical guidelines. Involvement of developing countries in new fields of science could be as¬sociated with substan¬tial advantages. In this paper, we intend to review main ethical issues of nanotechnology, taking into account the surge of interests in this field and the ever-increasing advances of nanotechnology in Iran. The issue of safety, considering envi¬ronmental and ecological impacts of nanoparticles (smart dust), and standards of customer aware¬ness are important de¬bates. The ‘Grey-goo' scenario and the concerns about ‘post-humanism' are also discussed by bioethicists. There are further con¬cerns about justice, intellectual property rights, accountability, and the probability of military and security misuse.