No doubt nanotechnology will be increasingly used in the manufacture of consumer products - in clothings and sports, in medicines and cosmetics, to name but a few.
The Consumer Council is concerned that some products may take advantage of the growing popularity of the technology, and make outlandish claims to lure consumers. The Council has identified one such type of products, the nano cups, which are allegedly made with nanomaterials with claims of health benefit.
In one case, the promotional materials alleged that the cups are embedded with nanomaterial that can break clusters of molecules in water poured into it. The water will be more "active", and easily absorbed by the body resulting in "biological effects" of benefit to health.
In the view of Professor W.W. Tso, an expert from the Department of Biochemistry of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, for water in liquid or solid states its molecules form clusters of variable sizes through hydrogen bonding.
All pure water produces the same biological effects. If there are impurities in water, it could produce either beneficial or harmful effects depending on the nature of the impurities.
Indeed, any containers or water purifying processes such as filtering may change the biological effects. However, such effects are not related to cluster sizes.
In another case, the promotional materials alleged that the 17O-NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) result is 61.32Hz, meaning that the water bears very strong energy and contains plenty of negative oxygen ions. It was claimed that drinking water contained in the cup in the long run will improve health.
Professor Tso stresses that while cluster sizes of water molecules could be deduced by measuring the hydrogen bonding among water molecules using NMR, measuring 1H-NMR is more convenient and accurate than 17O-NMR. Nevertheless, the strength and amount of hydrogen bonding among water molecules does not imply any mysterious energy in the water.
Consumers are advised not to be misled by the word "energy" attributed to the water they drink.
Presently, long-term data about the safety of using products made with nanoparticles is lacking. Authorities and suppliers are urged to conduct more comprehensive safety assessment before putting such products on the market.
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