Technological revolution, societal counter-revolution?

While nanomaterials have allowed the emergence of new products and new technologies, their development and dissemination have started to raise societal concerns. Delusional promises, carelessness about health and environmental issues (at least until recently), poor concern about education of people paved the way to societal overreactions and even complotism, making industrialists to withdraw some nanoproducts or deny their “nano” characteristics. At the same time, even the definition of nanomaterials is a delicate subject and the difficulties in estimating the risks are a colossal scientific challenge in metrology and toxicity. If these scientific and technical difficulties are perceived as signs of incompetence or manipulation by populations or industrialists, the market for nanomaterials and nanotechnologies could collapse under the effect of a societal counter-revolution. Only a large-scale initiative for nano-education will enable knowledge-based decision-making for the regulation of nanoproducts, with the consent of citizens.