Bioethical Issues of Nanotechnology at a Glance

Abstract: Nanotechnology is considered as an industrial revolution of the third millennium. Advances have a remarkable impact on differ ent fields such as medicine, engineering, economy and even politics. However, a wide range of ethical issues has been raised by this innovative science. Many authorities believe that these advancements could lead to irreversible dis asters if not lim ited by ethical guidelines. Involvement of developing countries in new fields of science could be as sociated with substan tial advantages. In this paper, we intend to review main ethical issues of nanotechnology, taking into account the surge of interests in this field and the ever-increasing advances of nanotechnology in Iran. The issue of safety, considering envi ronmental and ecological impacts of nanoparticles (smart dust), and standards of customer aware ness are important de bates. The ‘Grey-goo'' scenario and the concerns about ‘post-humanism'' are also discussed by bioethicists. There are further con cerns about justice, intellectual property rights, accountability, and the probability of military and security misuse.