So, one of the only things that seems to get me to blog about anything else than videos, is articles in the Danish media.
This is no exception.
Today, it’s an article in the weekly paper “Ugebrevet A4″ (published by LO) about a NanoCover product that has been taken off the market after fear of inhaling nano particles would lead to cancer. There is nothing wrong with that; it is a fairly unproven technology still, and the gist of the article is that scientists fear we might end up in the same situation as we did with Asbestos. It is a bit on the fear-mongering side, but I can live with that.
What I can’t live with is the stupid association of the iPod Nano being made with nano technology, and thus being dangerous.
As Jonas Juhler Hansen pointed out in a comment on Facebook, there is actual “components with structures finer than 100mm” in the iPod Nano, but does this qualify as an argument for banning the product for being based on nano particles?
Obvious answer in this regard: No.
What the NanoCover product was redacted for, was the fact that it’s a floor spray – in other words, you release nano particles into the air, and have a real risk of inhaling them. Whether or not they cause cancer, I am not the one to say, though I understand the assessment and appreciate any scientist with a desire to test the thesis.
If we should regard the iPod Nano as containing nano technology, every single netbook running on Intel’s Atom processor would have to be under the same cover, as it is based on 45nm chips. (The Intel Core i7 is even “worse”; it’s based on the 32nm process!).
The conclusion to this must be: Do not grind your netbook; you’ll get cancer!
(And can we please get a few tech journalists who will fact check for five more minutes before pressing “publish”?)
Hat tip to Claus Dahl for the story.