Nanotechnology and future concerns

The Meridian Institute are holding an online survey about the possible effects of Nanotechnology on the lives of the worlds poor. Go to http://www.nanoandthepoor.org to get more details of the discussion paper. The paper outlines various areas that Nanotechnology is used or being developed. The institutes concern at first glance, appears to be that the development of this new way of life, will perhaps leave the have nots with even less than they have right now. So in order to try and improve the lot of the masses, and to educate and find new ways of perhaps using the many different technologies involved in Nano, in improving world health and living conditions, they have come up with a disscussion paper. It is well worth going along to the above site or to http://nanotech.dialoguebydesign.net/fmain.asp to gain more insight.
The paper is accompanied by a series of 15 which cover,

a) Opportunities and Risks
b) Risks - Environmental and Human Health
c) Challenges for Linking Nanotechnology and Development
d) Lessons Learned from Past Successes and Failures
e) Stakeholders Working Together
f) Background Information
g) Other Events, Initiatives, Organizations, or Individuals

The paper itself gives a good if word heavy overview of what nanotechnology really is. I will be using it over the next few days to fill in many of this site's visitors. It has managed to answer quite a few of my own questions.
Chat to you in a nano.