Throughout the human history, anything new and unknown has caused anxiety and fear in a man. This is caused by an evolutionary mechanism that protects us on the one side, but on the other, it can thwart good and innovative ideas that could improve human lives. Comprehensible education and popularisation of the fundamental principles of nanotechnology solutions and their safety can help dispel any concerns. Neglecting education would open the path for development of large social groups that would reinforce one another in their fears on social networks and translate their concerns into programmatic resistance against the innovative solutions. Based on irrational fears, virtually anything can be restricted or banned following the principle of precaution. In the end, this could reduce the prospects of favourable economic development and lower the potential of European economic growth. In order to avoid this, we need to be aware of the circumstances under which nanomaterials can be harmful for us as well as the ways of preventing such risks.

Practical relevance – This is what you will need the knowledge and skills for
In this unit, you will learn where the potential risks of using nanotechnologies lie and how to prevent them. Understanding the fundamentals of the safety solutions for nanotechnology as well as the elementary algorithms suitable for verifying the information on potential risks constitute the prerequisites for sound judgment of incoming messages and stopping hoaxes.

Overview of learning objectives and competences
In LO_The basic starting point_01 you will learn
which properties of nanomaterials can, in addition to indisputable benefits, represent a potential risk for human health.

In LO_Contact of people with nanostructures_02 you will receive
information on nanotechnology in the nature, on conscious as well as unconscious creation of nano solutions by people, and on the existing release of manmade nanoparticles into the environment.

In LO_Protecting people from dangerous nanoproducts_03 you will learn the basics of…
danger for humans associated with nanoparticles of natural origin as well as those produced by human work and use of various products. At the same time, you will gain insight into the development of safe nanotechnology solutions and find out what to focus on while receiving information related to safety of nanotechnology to be able to assess its correctness.