The nanotechnology revolution is already underway. More than 1,000 consumer products sold in the United States use nanotechnology or contain nanoscale particles. These products range from computer chips and stain-resistant pants to window coatings and sunscreens. By 2007, the global market for nanotech goods was almost $150 billion, up from an estimated $30 billion in 2005. By 2015, the global market for nanotech products is likely to be in the trillions.

Some manufacturers have been happy to disclose their use of nanotechnology or have signed on to voluntary labeling guidelines. Others have adopted nanotech techniques or incorporated nanoscale particles into their products without any meaningful public disclosure. Relatively few products containing nanomaterials reveal this fact on the product label. In some cases, manufacturers’ own public relations officials are unaware of whether their products include nanoscale materials.