Submitted by Dr. Dan M on
Nanomaterials are super-small, highly engineered particles that have unique properties at their ultra-small scale—some very good, some potentially very bad. Consumers are most likely to encounter nanomaterials in sunscreens, toothpastes, food packaging, candy and gum, and some foods.
Well known food products that include nano ingredients are Menthos, Good 'n' Plenty, M&Ms, and CoffeeMate (original). Food brands where some products have nano ingredients include Hostess, Kool-Aid, Eclipse, Dentyne, Trident, Betty Crocker, Jell-O, and Pop Tarts.
Safety studies on how nanomaterials affect ecosystems and human health are woefully inadequate, but it is well established that the molecular-scale nano particles easily move through the environment and biological systems. In the human body, they can move past the intestinal wall into the bloodstream, accumulate in organs, disrupt the normal function of many bodily systems, and weaken the immune system. Additional long-term health effects of chronic exposure to nano-particles are unknown.
I'd love to buy able to say that you can absolutely avoid nano by buying organic, but the US organic standard has not yet banned nano. Still, it's unlikely that manufacturers of organic processed foods will use nanomaterials in their foods or packaging, so organic is still a safer bet than conventional. Safer still is to buy local—it's only the big corporations that are employing nano in their food lines. And, of course, staying away from the candy aisle and minimizing your consumption of junk food and processed food is a good idea for reasons other than nano-avoidance.
http://www.grinningplanet.com/green-stuff/chemicals-pesticides/nano-quick-facts.htm