In the twelfth meeting of the Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine, the Roundtable held a workshop to examine the environmental health issues surrounding the emergence of technology. The workshop summary, titled Implications of Nanotechnology for Environmental Health Research, captures the discussions and presentations by the speakers and participants, who identified the areas in which additional research was needed, the processes by which changes could occur, and the gaps in our knowledge.

Additionally, the workshop summarizes presentations on the benefits and potential negative impacts of nanotechnology, U.S. governmental involvement in ensuring safety, and policy implications of the emerging technology.