ABSTRACT
In 2009, the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health the US federal agency responsible for doing the research needed to assure worker health and safety, issued a report on “Approaches to Safe Nanotechnology.” Nanotechnology is a good example, as international developments in defining acceptable risks, developing standards, and implementing regulatory strategies continue. Without adequate and stable regulation, the benefits of new technology can be lost or delayed because both investors and consumers may become overly cautious. The taxpayers who are paying the bill for the development of the basic science and engineering underlying the development of nanotechnology are also stakeholders. One of the big lessons of nanotechnology for risk analysts and risk communicators alike is the strong reminder and confirmation of something we already knew: responses to risks are social, cultural, and psychological in nature. Nanotechnology risk communication can be analyzed as empowerment in a number of special situations.
