Recommendations from SAC sub-committee: Action to take on materials reviewed
Material
“New technologies for your
changing future”, 2011,
Australian Government
Nanotechnology and you:
Safety and regulations,
Commonwealth of Australia
2011
“Take a closer look at the
issues” Avant Card postcard
2010
The “Journey into the nanoworld”
fold out brochure
(undated)
Fold out model of a buckyball
Concerns expressed by
Review panel (different views), Tom Faunce and
Alex Bruce
Problems identified
Bias (promotional initiative),
omissions regarding EHS
Action to take
Requires review before any further
distribution of hard or soft copies
Tom Faunce and Alex Bruce recommend update
re policy and regulation, EHS science, and
explicit engagement with precautionary
principle
Inaccuracy and bias, omissions
re EHS and regulation
Requires review and update before
anyfurther distribution of hard or soft
copies
No materials remain in circulation
Review panel (different views), Tom Faunce and
Alex Bruce
Bias (promotional initiative),
no critical engagement with
EHS
Review panel (different views), Tom Faunce and
Alex Bruce
Bias (promotional initiative),
no information on regulation
“Does size really matter”
brochure (2009). Produced by
DIISR and CSIRO
Review panel, Karinne Ludlow, Tom Faunce and
Alex Bruce
Bias, inaccuracy, omissions in
EHS information
“New technologies for a
changing climate” brochure
(2010)
Review panel
Bias (promotional initiative)
TechNyou blog “Nanotech:
Overheated promises and hot
Review panel (different views)
Bias (includes anecdotal)
somewhat combative stance”
taken by provider of what is
Requires review and update before
any
further distribution of hard copies or
reprint
Support ongoing distribution of PDF
from websites only if this qualification
is added to the download links: “This
brochure is a promotional initiative for
nanotechnology”
Do not reprint without review and
update
Requires review and update before
any
further distribution of hard or soft
copies
Requires review before any further
distribution of hard copies.
Support ongoing distribution of PDF
from techNyou website only if this
qualification is added to the download
links: “This brochure is a promotional
initiative for nanotechnology”
Remove from techNyou website
Material
Concerns expressed by
“Nanotechnology and foods”
fact sheet (2009)
Review panel, Karinne Ludlow, Tom Faunce and
Alex Bruce recommend update
“Nanotechnology – working
with the smallest things”
(2008)
“Nanotechnologies in the
workplace” fact sheet (2009)
Tom Faunce and Alex Bruce encourage update
and explicit engagement with precautionary
principle, dated nature noted by Karinne
Ludlow
Problems identified
supposed to be a neutral
service providing “balanced
and factual information”
Bias, omissions regarding state
of EHS science and lack of
nano-specific labelling, some
statements may be misleading
Bias and omissions, some
statements regarding state of
regulation of nanomaterials in
the workplace may be
misleading
Bias and omissions regarding
EHS science and societal
dimensions
“Nanotechnologies Teacher
Information” CSIRO/ DIISR
(2010)
Review panel, dated nature noted by Karinne
Ludlow, especially in relation to FoE’s sunscreen
guide, Tom Faunce and Alex Bruce urge more
EHS information and more critical discussion of
regulatory science and its funding (industry or
government)
The “space elevator” and
“personal care products”
modules for high school
teaching from the Access Nano
program (2008)
Review panel, Joe Shapter, Karinne Ludlow
cautions against representing products as nano
that claim they are not, Tom Faunce and Alex
Bruce urge more critical discussion of EHS
issues, how precaution can be applied in
practice, and whether regulatory science
should be funded by industry or government
Bias and omissions regarding
EHS, regulatory and societal
information
Synthetic biology “genome
jenga” post card (2011)
Review panel (different views) Bias (promotional
initiative).
Concerns also about the ‘fun
stuff’ section of techNyou
website, especially the
“appalling” ‘Nano Sing Along’
Action to take
Requires in depth review and update
before further distribution of hard or
soft copies, or reprint
Requires review and update before
further distribution of hard or soft
copies
Requires review and update before
further distribution of hard or soft
copies, or reprint
Remove from techNyou website.
Requires review and update prior to
any
reissue. Communicate to COSMOS and
CSIRO concerns regarding the
inadequate representation of EHS
science and societal dimensions
Remove from techNyou website.
Requires review and update prior to
any
reissue. Communicate to techNyou
Education Resources concerns
regarding
the inadequate representation of EHS
science and societal dimensions
Strongly recommend review of
techNyou materials to distinguish
between marketing and persuasion
materials, and those to support
informed debate