Nanotechnology Military and Environment Risk
The economic constraint that the world is facing has lead to the development of new technology to improve the living standards that have nosedived. Scientist and scholars are still involved with thorough research which will help to curb this constraint that is slowly consuming our stable financial status. The cost of living has gone high due to the increased production cost of products. Scientists have devised a new technology that involves manufacture of products that are 100 or less nanometers.
The technology aims at reducing the manufacturing costs of production by ensuring the manufacturing costs are less than the initial cost of the raw materials and energy. The technology has a wide range of application from medicine and energy to electronics. In the manufacturing process care must be taken to ensure the atoms are essentially where they are supposed to be and the structure formed complies with the rule of physics. Though the technology simplifies the production method resulting to production of more precise products that are stronger and lighter the implications it arises are of a major concern.
The technology poses danger to the environment by introducing toxic substances during the manufacturing process, advanced technology and the technological know how is required; this may pose a drift to the economic status of the country as the acquisition of the necessary resources required to implement this technology is expensive. The stability of the military forces in the country may be affected as terrorists or hooligans may use this opportunity to threaten the military. P-people against the technology are also speculating that the technology will destroy the world by depleting matter as the manufactured robots replicate themselves.
The link between humans and the robots will cease leading to the merger of the robots and humans forming one entity. The medicinal research that is going on depicts this theory as nanobots that will cure diabetes type 1 and repair impaired spinal cords in mice is being done. Reciporates that will aid human beings to hold their breath in water for long and neurons that will replace defective brain neurons in patients also leads to the singularity theory of homosapiens merging with nanotechnology products (Farrar para.
13-30). America being among the richest countries in the world has a good financial background of gaining access to the required resources needed to research on and use nanotechnology. For instance in 2006 approximately USD1millon was set aside to aid in accomplishment of the key areas set out in regards to nanotechnology. In the future about 30% of the total money allocated to the federal department will be used in the nanotechnology sector.
The US Department of Defense (DOD) implemented nanotechnology into its program in the mid ninety’s when a Defense Research University Initiative of Nanotechnology (DURINT) was established to help the military to perform research and run educational programs pertaining to the development of nanotechnology. The military has relied on this technology to device equipments that can be handled easily by the soldier like the incorporation of field responsive particles into micro channels, formation of nanotubes, energy absorbing materials and bio-molecular motors among others.
However, the use of this technology by the military introduced severe implications that are beyond the control of mankind. The production methods they use to manufacture more powerful, advanced and easy to use products introduce toxins that are harmful to the environment and the existence of human beings, for example some manufacturing processes include explosion which could lead to release of elements that lead to the depletion of the ozone layer like uranium.
The elements released in the atmosphere also depicts harm to the human race as the elements are absorbed into the DNA structure of humans affecting the normal functioning of the human body because they mutate interfering with the normal structuring of the human organs. The defective DNA structure is transmitted from one generation to the next leading to birth of children with defective organ system or lacking some parts of the body which are important for the survival of humans. Others portray their dangers in their areas of usage, for example nanotech sensors that are made from elements which result to the degradation of the environment.
The use of the new technology also raises some ethical concerns pertaining to the human norms. The principal behind this technology is genetically modifying human components to be able to survive the obstacles that humans are facing in their day to day life, for instance the military implant nanotech devices into the body of the soldiers to help them withstand the forces that weaken their operations in a battle field. Religious ethicists perceive this as going against the rule of creation where every man was made in his own unique manner and in the likeness of the creator.
Human life should be respected and protected against harm, but by research and use of this technology human life is placed at danger and the possibility of its extinction is higher (Tenner 34). The adverse effects that the nanotechnology causes to the environment has called to the attention of the government officials in US and currently in Washington there is an ongoing conference to implement new policies that will govern the protection of the environment in regards to the use of nanotechnology.
The government is been pressured to prove the safety of the technology before its implementation unlike the old regulations which demanded the harm caused by introduction of advanced technology to be stipulated. The implementation of the technology is highly increasing at a fast rate that does not allow research based on the life cycle of the products or results of the manufacturing process to be conducted. This raises concerns over the overall effect the technology will portray to the environment, for instance some of the rare resources found in the environment maybe depleted as scientists use them to detect the viability of the technology.
For example Gallium a rare element that is used to make nanotech electronics may cease to exist as the element cannot be recycled to increase its existence and replace the used amount. Nanotechnology relies on thermal physics which involves emission of energy; this could have a negative effect on the environment as the energy released in the environment may exceed the normal capacity that the environment can handle. This may result to adverse effects such as decreased volume of oxygen in the atmosphere as the reactions that result from the emission of heat consume oxygen, leading to the extinction of life which relies on oxygen to survive.
Disposal of the waste emitted during the manufacturing process poses danger to the environment as the waste may contain particles that can be absorbed by the ecosystem harming its existence, for example land that was productive and largely contributed to the thriving of the agricultural sector of the economy may became unproductive as the elements that seep through the soil turn it acidic burning the roots of planted crops.
The amount of waste level in the country will increase resulting to pollution of the environment which has long term effects to the environment, for instance the existence of green house gases such as sulfur into large volumes that are beyond the retraction mechanism of the environment which tries to balance the effects it receives to create a conducive environment for human beings (Crandall 86).
Though Nanotechnology is welcomed by a big portion of the society as it simplifies most of the process man uses and develops solutions to incidents that were beyond the potential of the already existing technology, it still faces criticism from people who look at the future implication that the technology will create. The technology will improve the health care delivery system provided to the society but will in the long run have some negative health and safety implications which pose danger to the health status of the society.
For instance some of the rays radiated during the usage of nanotech are cancerous like xenon and their prolonged use will increase the risks of having a cancerous society. In some extent the technology denies the society their rights as citizens of the country, their human rights and the privacy they demands as the technology results to scrutiny of the society in an attempt to detect the benefits and the negative effects it causes. Also when the technology is tested used on the soldiers, their right to life is abused as death may occur from the results of the technology which maybe long term or short term.
The effects caused by nanotechnology affect the habitat of the society as some environmental changes which do not favor the existence of man are observed. For instance the atoms used to manufacture nanomaterials may trigger an unbalanced state of the Earth’s Lithosphere favoring the occurrence of earthquakes that disorients the economic and social development of the society leaving the community psychologically affected (Roco et al. 102-297). Nanotechnology is better than xenografting which denies the experimental animals their rights to life and normal existence as an animal due to the rearing conditions they face.
Therefore nanotechnology can greatly improve the medical scope of health care delivery as better and cheaper mechanism to treat diseases that seem to be incurable to man are devised and the mortality rate that has increased because of lack of organ donors will reduce. The overall protection offered to a country by the military will be efficient and the dangers that army soldiers’ face will be minimal as better protective measures will be implemented. Previously, use of new technology resulted to production of lethal weapons that were used in the world wars the nation has experienced.
The results of using the weapons adversely affected the environment and the human race as nuclear remnants were absorbed into the environment and the DNA code of human beings, for example the use of the Hiroshima bomb which was a test to the effectiveness of the nuclear power uranium has. Hence the increased quest for the government, military, scientists and scholars to do inquisitive research on the new technology and formulate policies that allow the usage of the technology while protecting the environment, the society and the safety of the military.
Safety and health regulations that will stipulate guidelines to be followed during the implementation of the technology should be devised to further increase the protection of the environment, society and economic of the country from the wrath consequences of the technology (Ratner 23-156). Word Count: 1750 Work Cited Crandall, B. C. Nanotechnology: Molecular Speculation on Global Abundance. Massachusetts, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1996. Farrar Lara. Scientists: Humans and Machines will Merge in Future.
Artificial Life, Genetic Manipulation and Cloning, 2008. Ratner Daniel. Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea. London: Prentice Hall, 2003. Roco Mihail, Bainbridge Sims William, National Science and Technology Council (U. S. ): Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology. Societal Implications of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology: NSET Workshop Report. Warren, MI: Springer, 2001. Tenner Edward. Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences. Goose Creek, SC: Vintage, 1997.
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