Is Silver a Savior or a Menace? - BioMaterials Talks, USA
The debate on nanoparticle silver rages on, this time in the form of a CNN news item that presents both the benefits and concerns surrounding the miracle metal.
At the forefront is the material’s many beneficial uses at the nanoscale. Ionic silver is often touted as an effective antimicrobial that can be used in hospitals and commercial OTC products with minimal risk to humans. On the other side are critics whose concerns are two-fold. The first is that silver’s properties may hold unknown consequences to the environment. The second is that silver’s popularity may increase that risk.