silver is a heavy metal, and is not good for direct injestion.
"Adverse health effectsFurther information:
Silver and
Argyria
According to Lansdown, the risk expected due to clinical exposure to silver is "minimal", as only chronic ingestion or inhalation of silver preparations leads to an accumulation of silver in the human body that can cause argyria, argyrosis (accumulation of silver in the eye), and other conditions.[SUP]
[12][/SUP] Silver-based products are contraindicated for people who are allergic to silver.[SUP]
[12][/SUP] The reference dose, published by the
United States Environmental Protection Agency in 1991, which recommends the estimated daily exposure that is unlikely to incur an appreciable risk of deleterious effects during a lifetime, is 5 µg/kg/d; meaning 5
micrograms of silver per kilo of weight per person each day – about 1 liter of 10 ppm colloidal silver per month for a 66 kg person.[SUP]
[16][/SUP] An article from the
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine points out silver nitrate and silver sulfadiazine can have negative side effects, and they must be applied to the body externally and not taken internally.[SUP]
[1][/SUP]
The chronic intake of silver products and the silver buildup from colloidal silver can result in an accumulation of silver or
silver sulfide particles in the hair, skin, kidneys, liver, heart and muscles due to high
methionine-containing proteins, such as
keratin,
myosin,
tropomyosin,
troponin, and key dipeptide glutathione. Serious neurologic (such as seizures), renal, or hepatic complications, as well as headaches, stomach distress, fatigue, and skin irritation have been reported.[SUP]
[58][/SUP][SUP]
[59][/SUP] Colloidal silver can reduce the absorption of some
medications, including
tetracycline and
quinolone antibiotics and can bind to
penicillamine, thereby reducing the effectiveness of those medications.[SUP]
[25][/SUP][SUP]
[60][/SUP] One death has been reported in the
medical literature which the authors felt was due to silver toxicity resulting from repeated oral ingestion of colloidal silver.[SUP]
[61][/SUP]
As in photography (where silver is used due to its reactivity with light), silver particles in the skin darken with exposure to sunlight, resulting in a blue or gray discoloration of the skin. This condition is known as
argyria, which is a dermatological condition characterized by grayish-blue pigmentation of the skin, nails, gums, and deep tissues; and, in similar manner, it can lead to silver in the eye (argyrosis) and in other organs.
Argyria can only occur if large doses are ingested over time. [SUP]
[12][/SUP][SUP]
[17][/SUP][SUP]
[25][/SUP][SUP]
[16][/SUP][SUP]
[49][/SUP][SUP]
[62][/SUP][SUP]
[63][/SUP][SUP]
[64][/SUP][SUP]
[65][/SUP][SUP]
[66][/SUP] Localized argyria can occur as a result of topical use of substances containing silver, while generalized argyria results from the chronic ingestion of such substances.[SUP]
[58][/SUP] Argyria was long believed to be irreversible,[SUP]
[52][/SUP] but recently, laser therapy has been used to treat it with satisfactory cosmetic results.[SUP]
[67][/SUP][SUP]
[68][/SUP][SUP]
[69][/SUP] The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (
ATSDR) describes argyria as a "cosmetic problem",[SUP]
[70][/SUP] although some people consider it to be socially debilitating.[SUP]
[71][/SUP][SUP]
[72][/SUP]
[h=2][
edit] Environmental effects[/h]Silver that enters the environment from discarded medical sources can have detrimental effects on micro-organisms and animals (including humans).[SUP]
[[/SUP]
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