Do We Need the Precautionary Principle To Protect Us From Potential Risks From Nanotechnology? The NRDC Thinks So

In a prior rant, I raised the concern that EPA would oppose the use of new cleanup technologies based on nanotechnologies on the basis of the precautionary principle. I may not have been exactly on the mark, but I was pretty close. On Thursday, the NRDC announced that it has filed suit challenging EPA's decision to issue a conditional registration of a nanosilver-based antimicrobial agent. The NRDC asserts that EPA's use of the conditional registration process is "illegal," apparently because EPA does not have sufficient information to justify a conclusion that use of the nanosilver products do not cause "unreasonable adverse effects to human health and the environment." According to the NRDC, EPA's decision is