A group of top nanotechnology scientists says that governments must take immediate steps to minimize the potential risks posed by the burgeoning nanotechnology field, which could grow into a $100-billion market within 10 years.

In a commentary to be published on Thursday by the journal Nature, the researchers say “the scientific community needs to act now if strategic research is to support sustainable nanotechnologies, in which risks are minimized and benefits maximized.” The commentary offers five challenges for researchers over the next 15 years. For example, researchers must start, within the next 12 months, strategic programs to study risks. And within the next five to 15 years, researchers must develop ways to measure the toxicity of nanomaterials.

The commentary drew bipartisan support from leaders of the House Science Committee. Its chairman, Sherwood L. Boehlert, a Republican from New York, and Bart Gordon of Tennessee, its top Democrat, issued a news release today saying the Bush administration had moved too slowly in preparing and financing research into the risks posed by nanotechnology. “There is too much at stake to dally,” said the statement. “Nanotechnology is an area of research that could add billions of dollars to our economy, but that won’t happen if it is shrouded in uncertainty about its consequences.”

Several authors of the Nature commentary will discuss the issue on a live Webcast on Thursday from 9 to 10 a.m., Eastern time, at the Web site of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.