With every innovation in the 20th century, one pattern stands out: where technology advances, a rise in public concern follows. From HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey to wireless devices, new technology gives rise to new questions and new concerns. This is certainly true of nanotechnology – a topic on which I’ve written extensively, and which has been the subject of vigorous debate.

Last month, at the first ever conference of the Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization in Washington DC, Michail Roco of the National Science Foundation, and architect of the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative provided a response. He said, “every industrial sector is unsustainable…and nanotechnology holds the promise of making every one of them sustainable.”

It’s my belief that that is true: nanotechnology, or the ability to manipulate matter at a scale of one billionth of a meter, has far-reaching implications for the improvement of sustainable technology, industry and society.

Already, it is being used widely to enable more sustainable practices. Safer manufacturing, less waste generation, reusable materials, more efficient energy technologies, better water purification, lower toxicity and environmental impacts from chemotherapy agents to marine paints are all current applications of nanotechnology. There is no reason for this technology to develop in an unsustainable manner.

In the past, a lack of foresight has resulted in costs to society – people, businesses, and governments, and— that could have been avoided by proactive efforts to manage risks. Today, the tools to develop safer technologies and less harmful products exist. Let us not miss this opportunity.

The opportunity for emerging technologies and cutting edge materials to improve our quality of life, and decrease our impact on the planet is compelling. However, we know from past experience that novel materials can have unforeseen impacts. Brominated flame retardants, for example, added to consumer products to reduce their flammability have been detected in household dust, and in people and polar bears. We now have to phase out these chemicals, and introduce new ones.

My just released book, Nanotechnology Health and Environmental Risks Second Edition explains how we can manage the risks while gaining the benefits of this exciting enabling technology with applications that sound so whiz bang they could be science fiction, not current technology. Through a combination of screening risk analysis, life cycle thinking, and iterative analysis, better decisions can be made early in the product life cycle. Chapters contributed by esteemed colleagues in fields of nanotoxicology (Richard Pleus), exposure assessment (Thomas Peters), environmental assessment (J. Michael Davis), and risk perception (Ann Bostrom and Ragnar Lofstedt) describe the cutting edge science and emerging approaches in the field. The developments in the field since the first edition, in 2008, are many and our understanding has improved significantly.

CLF Ventures is working with a variety of public and private organizations to guide their efforts to be proactive in addressing the risks of emerging nanoscale materials and nanotechnologies, while our understanding continues to grow, and our regulatory structures develop. As with all types of innovation, the need for confidence about the safety of the products and demonstration of the benefits is critical to adoption. The potential benefits of nanomaterials and nanotechnologies are transformative and mission-advancing; their impacts must be addressed in order to achieve their benefits.

Innovation – a word commonly used, and commonly associated with big money and big business. But as 15-year-old Jack Thomas Andraka, recent winner of an Intel prize for his cancer detection technology, demonstrated: innovation is unfolding in unlikely places. We should nurture these innovations, and we must do more to leverage these breakthroughs.

If you haven’t already, I suggest viewing this passionate and inspiring video of Jack Andraka winning the Intel Gordon E. Moore prize for medicine. It is a rare treat to experience the sheer joy of a 15 year old being recognized for an innovation some spend careers pursuing. In this case, Jack’s idea turned disruptive technology was for a simple, elegant, inexpensive and accurate cancer detection technology. By coating single walled nanotubes with antibodies and attaching them to a paper strip, Jack found he could accurately identify pancreatic cancer cells, enabling wide screening for deadly cancers.

Despite not knowing this young scientist, I am proud of him for his stellar accomplishment. He picked an important problem, and focused on an innovative technological solution. Society will undoubtedly benefit from the availability of a simple screening test that can be widely adopted.

He’s not the first to put nanotubes, a manufactured nanoscale material that is a rolled up tube of carbon, into paper, nor is he the first to coat them. But, he has succeeded in leveraging the benefits of nanotechnology for society’s benefit.  If the technology achieves its potential it will result in the widespread use of these strips in hospitals, doctor’s offices, and clinics.

Because of our name, CLF Ventures meets many entrepreneurs who have developed innovative ways to address society’s pressing problems. Through our networks, we are often able to help them gain market access, or make introductions. There is often resistance to adopting new approaches and technologies, particularly when adoption requires a shift in existing policies or infrastructure, as is often the case with clean or “green” technologies. It’s human nature to resist change and maintain the status quo: we like what is familiar. Yet, as Jack Andraka demonstrates, there are often great benefits associated with new technologies.

To that end, it is critical to support innovation, and to maintain openness to new ideas and options. Three things are critical to enabling this support.

1. There is a need to make adoption straightforward, to leverage the benefits for society and for the environment.
2. It is also important to balance the risks with the benefits, to consider the broader impacts of the inevitable disruption new technologies bring, and to manage those impacts to avoid adverse effects on health and the environment.
3. We need to ensure our resilience and ability to manage the unanticipated, and innovation enables our doing so.

Kudos to Andraka and to Intel for inspiring the changes.