The European Commission’s latest advisory group on ethics in science has made its first task to examine the ethical issues of nanomedicine research, as fears continue to grow about the risks to human health and the environment.

For the commercial world, this debate is more likely to be viewed from the perspective of public opinion rather than ethical absolutes. With memories of the backlash against GM foods still fresh in everyone’s mind, there’s a feeling that the nanotechnology sector has to start doing a far better job of explaining the benefits and risks to the wider public.