The civilization of nanoproducts

Ahe increasing commercialization of products containing nanomaterials or "nano-objects" is of concern to all of us to a greater or lesser extent. The subject is picked up from time to time in the media, particularly in relation to agri-food and cosmetic products, rekindling concerns about the consequences of exposure to nanoparticles that are assumed to be toxic.

While the risk dimension is paramount, it overlooks several equally important aspects of the "nano" issue: the history of nanoproducts, their often astonishing properties, the motivations for their discovery and use in a wide variety of products, their potential or proven interest for society, the ways in which researchers study them, ongoing scientific debates, or the difficulties of following nanomaterials along the manufacturing chains so as to label products legibly (traceability).

Through examples, this book recounts how nanoproducts have come to occupy a major place in our industrial civilization, and why they are both fascinating and problematic: "Titanium: promises and risks of a depollutant"; "Tanned skin thanks to nanomaterials? » ;

"From magic bullets to nanomedicines"; "Carbon in all its states..."; "Will you take a spoonful of nanoparticles? "Nanosilver: a value that goes up or down"; "The age of nanocomposites"; "Is it harder to trace a nanomaterial than going to Mars?" ...