Guy Carpenter & Company, Inc., the global risk and reinsurance specialist and part of the Marsh & McLennan Companies, has announced the publication of a comprehensive overview of the emerging science of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology: The Plastics of the 21st Century looks at the potential benefits for the global economy, associated risks and implications for the insurance industry.

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of molecules and atoms on a small scale to produce products that exhibit new or different properties. Scientists claim nanotechnology is the most significant breakthrough of the 21st century and has the potential to influence everyday lives in a number of positive ways from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics to hygiene.

The National Science Foundation forecasts that $1 trillion in nanotechnology-enabled products will be on the market by 2015. “As with practically all scientific breakthroughs, nanotechnology carries both risks and potential rewards,” said Andrew Marcell, managing director and global head of Guy Carpenter’s Casualty Specialty Practice.

The study, available from www.guycarp.com, addresses nanotechnology’s potential long term benefits to the global economy, health, safety and environmental risks and the regulatory environment and the likely evolution of nanotechnology insurance coverage.