Conducted by Professor Dietram Scheufele of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Elizabeth Corley of Arizona State University, the telephone survey of U.S. households and a sampling of 363 leading U.S. nanotechnology scientists and engineers revealed those with the most insight into nanotechnology are unsure what health and environmental problems might be posed by the technology.

"Scientists aren't saying there are problems," said Scheufele. "They're saying, 'We don't know.'"

He said the findings are in contrast to past controversies involving new technologies, such as nuclear power and genetically modified foods, which scientists perceived as having lower risks than did the public.

At the root of the information disconnect, said Scheufele, is that nanotechnology is only now starting to emerge on the nation's policy agenda. Amplifying the problem is that the news media have paid little attention to nanotechnology and its implications.

"In the long run, this information disconnect could undermine public support for federal funding in certain areas of nanotechnology research," said Corley.

The report appears in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.