Silver. We know it’s in our fine cutlery and jewelery, but did you know it might be in your socks and bandaids? The problem with this is they don’t create all silver equal. Silver as it comes out of the earth may be fine but take that particle and turn it into a nano-particle, an itty bitty teeny tiny particle and it has completely different properties.
Silver has long been used for its powerful antimicrobial properties and that is why nano-silver is highly desirable for many consumer goods. Bandaids, fabrics, dishwashing liquid, air sanitisers and personal care products may all be ‘enhanced’ with antimicrobial nano-silver. This may be fine if the nano-silver posed no risk to our health but it’s use is coming under scrutiny as the first wave of research coming out suggests nano-silver is anything but benign.
The health effects of nano-silver are largely unknown but the research that does exist is worrying. Nano-silver does not stay put in the products and instead can migrate into our skin, the air we breath, and the food we eat. Nano-silver is small enough to cross into our bloodstream, our brains, some kinds can even pass through the placenta and into the womb. Latest research shows that sperm cell growth is stopped and hindered by nano-silver, with the smallest nano-particles creating the biggest problems. While the research is limited to animal studies, and the exact exposure rates of individuals to nanosilver is largely unknown, it does create doubt in my mind to whether products ‘enhanced’ with nano-silver are better than their alternatives.
For now, I’ll be staying clear of these products and keeping my eye on the research. It seems like a regular bandaid will probably be just as good, if not safer, than the ‘enhanced’ nano-silver one anyway.
Keep reading the packaging!
Jeddah
Sound Earth Blog 