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Scientists worry about some risks more than the public

A comparison between two recent national surveys among nanoscientists and the general public in the US shows that, in general, nanoscientists are more optimistic than the public about the potential benefits of nanotechnology. However, for some issues related to the environmental and long-term health impacts of nanotechnology, nanoscientists were significantly more concerned than the public.

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Figure 1: Perceived risks and benefits of nanotechnology.

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Acknowledgements

This material is based on work supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (SES-0531194) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School (135GL82). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF or the UW-Madison Graduate School. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to D.A.S.

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Correspondence to Dietram A. Scheufele.

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Scheufele, D., Corley, E., Dunwoody, S. et al. Scientists worry about some risks more than the public. Nature Nanotech 2, 732–734 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2007.392

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