A Review of Destructive Effect of Nano Silver on Human Health, Environment and Animals

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are gaining attention from the academic and regulatory communities, not only because of their antimicrobial effects and subsequent product applications, but also because of their potential health and environmental risks. Nano-silver is used in an increasing number of products. Some of the applications have resulted in the concern of governments and the public, since little is known about the potential risks of nano-silver. It is hypothesized that the toxic effects of nano-silver are due to a combination of the specific properties of silver nanoparticles and the generation of ions from them. The main issue for future investigation is confirmation of our ‘0-hypothesis’ that toxic effects of nano-silver are proportional to the activity of free silver ions which are released by the nanoparticles.