Occupational health and safety officer Steve Mullins spoke yesterday at Science meets Parliament, an event which gives up to 200 scientists from across Australia a chance to meet parliamentarians.

Mr Mullins said Australia needed regulations within a ''clear and urgent'' time frame.

''We haven't seen that at all,'' he said.

''What is happening is a market is growing in an unregulated space and that is dangerous for workers.''

Mr Mullins said over the next decade, the global value revenues related to nanotechnology was expected to increase from about $US32billion ($A48billion) to $US2.6 trillion ($A4trillion).

Nanomaterials were now used in about 800 consumer products around the world.

''From our point of view, there are growing concerns about the health and safety impacts of nanotech,'' MrMullins said.''Not only do nanoparticles share some characteristics with asbestos, but there's also lessons to learn from the tragedy that occurred with asbestos and is still continuing today. I think when we're dealing with nanotechnology, we need to look to the past to learn from the mistakes that we've made.''

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter at a nanometre scale. One nanometre is one billionth of a metre office paper is about 100,000 nanometres thick.

Last year, studies on long carbon nanotubes appeared internationally in the media after they revealed these nanotubes could clump together to make a shape similar to long fibre asbestos, and could cause mesothelioma in test animals.

NanoVentures Australia chief executive Peter Binks said he did not believe any workers were exposed to dangers of carbon nanotubes.

''I certainly agree with the overall call for a clear and agreed timetable for putting things in place,'' Dr Binks said.

''Australia does have some pretty robust chemical regulations and some outstanding authorities who oversee and implement those. Most, if not all, materials become subject to those. They can certainly be improved.''

CSIRO nanosafety theme leader Maxine McCall said scientists and policy makers faced challenges in understanding the science behind nanotechnology.

''If we're to have appropriate and sensible regulation, the policy makers have to be appropriately informed,'' she said.

''Right now, we don't have sufficient information in my opinion to have sensible regulation so a lot of scientific research has to be done in this area.''