Who should be precautionary? Governance of nanotechnology in the risk society

This article focuses on one important ethical and political element in the development of nanotechnologies: the relevance and importance of the precautionary principle. The principle recommends political actions based upon experiences and early scientific warnings, even when there is no clear scientific evidence to prove causal links. Our chief contribution to the discussion about the precautionary principle in nanotechnologies is the development of the stakeholder approach in a governance perspective. We link our article to the theoretical and empirical discussions on risk society. In at least two ways the risk society of Ulrich Beck seems highly relevant for the precautionary principle within nanotechnologies: Precautionary actions represent one model for the society to deal with modern risks; and Beck redefined the relation between science and society. This article is based upon qualitative interviews with four groups of stakeholders in Norway: (1) non-governmental organizations - consumer, environment, health; (2) political authorities and politicians; (3) industry and businesses; and (4) the scientific community. In the present phase of the development of nanotechnologies, the responsibility for taking precautionary actions are, to a large extent, placed on the individual researcher and the scientific community. We have identified seven issues in the interviews that are pertinent for the scientific and political discourse about nanotechnologies.