Colloidal silver

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Colloidal silver is a colloid of silver particles in water. It has antimicrobial properties and was, in the past, used on external wounds and burns to prevent infection. Some claim that it is a beneficial nutritional supplement and a powerful antibiotic[1], although this is disputed[2]. As with many of the claims made for this product, there is no scientific proof of its efficacy as a treatment for illnesses such as anthrax following bio-terror alerts.[citation needed] The ingestion of colloidal silver in large quantities or over a long period of time carries a high risk of argyria, a condition in which the skin turns permanently blue-gray[3][4][5][6].

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[edit] Properties and Use

Colloidal silver can be used to keep drinkable water potable over a long period. [1] It is also used externally for health benefits.

Silver has been used as a topical antiseptic for minor burns for more than 100 years [7]. High concentrations of colloidal silver kill bacteria and the topical, or external, use of colloidal silver to kill microbes is well established. Though colloidal silver was a prescribed treatment in the U.S. Navy's corpsman's manual until 1973, the use of colloidal silver was discontinued due to the rare but serious risk of argyria, a non-reversible condition. For this reason and others -- the extraordinarily broad claims made for the product -- its use as an ingested medication remains controversial.[citation needed]

[edit] Controversy

Colloidal silver is toxic. Oral LD50 values for mice reported for colloidal silver are 100 mg/kg.[8]

Continued ingestion of high doses (more than 1 gram of accumulated silver, or 5 mg per day) of colloidal silver may result in argyria, a rare condition causing a permanent discoloration of the skin.[3][4][5]

Argyria is not a serious or fatal condition.[9] While the skin discoloration may be confused for other conditions, there are no physiologic implications for the patient.[10]

Almost all known cases of argyria resulted from exposure to or use of silver oxide or silver nitrate.[citation needed] One of the few confirmed cases of argyria caused by colloidal silver is that of Stan Jones, a Montana Libertarian candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2002 and 2006, who overdosed on colloidal silver. Mr. Jones' colloidal silver was a home-prepared solution which he began taking in 1999 due to fears of antibiotics being unavailable due to "Y2K" bug problems.[6]

Advocates of colloidal silver claim it to be a useful supplement to their diet, providing them with improved health and well being and (among other things) a low incidence of colds and flu.[citation needed] They also assert that, under careful use (one teaspoon of 5ppm concentrate every 1 to 3 days) of properly produced (5parts per million) colloidal silver, argyria is virtually impossible. [11] These claims are anecdotal, and have not been confirmed by scientific study.


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned over-the-counter sales of colloidal silver products claiming therapeutic value, or their advertisement as providing health benefits. Despite its earlier history as a drug, the product now has the status of a dietary supplement (dietary supplements cannot claim to cure diseases, only that they "support healthy functioning").[12][13] The FDA has issued warnings to internet sites selling or promoting colloidal silver.[14] If no health benefits are claimed, and colloidal silver is sold as a supplement, its sale is legal as long as the products comply with all other FDA regulations. Users should be aware, however, that FDA regulations of all dietary supplements are extremely lax, and that there are few controls over the quality of the product. [14] In 2002, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration made a similar ruling.[15]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Silvermedicine.org: Benefits of Colloidal Silver
  2. ^ Fung MC, Bowen DL. Silver products for medical indications: risk-benefit assessment. Journal of Toxicology and Clinical Toxicology 34:119-26, 1996. available online
  3. ^ a b U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2003). Silver. Retrieved on 2006-08-05.
  4. ^ a b Hill, W. R.; Pillsbury, D. M. (1939). Argyria: The pharmacology of silver. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins Co., 131. 
  5. ^ a b Gaul, L. E.; Staud, A.H. (1935). "Seventy cases of generalized argyria following organic and colloidal silver medication, including biospectrometric analysis of ten cases". AMA 104: 1387-1390. 
  6. ^ a b True-blue bids for Senate, 2002-10-03, BBC
  7. ^ Complementary Medicine - Information about complementary & alternative medical therapies, Cedars-Sinai Health System
  8. ^ The Risk Assessment Information System (1998). RAIS: Silver (7440-22-4). Retrieved on 2007-02-13.
  9. ^ ATSDR-ToxFAQs: Silver
  10. ^ "Joshua B Glenn, Anna N Walker: Argyria In An Elderly Man. The Internet Journal of Dermatology. 2002. Volume 1 Number 2 available online
  11. ^ Silvermedicine.org: Argyria - Colloidal Silver Safety.
  12. ^ COLLOIDAL SILVER NOT APPROVED FDA reports "Use of colloidal silver ingredients in food-producing animals constitutes a potentially serious public health concern", Wednesday, February 12, 1997
  13. ^ FDA ISSUES FINAL RULE ON OTC DRUG PRODUCTS CONTAINING COLLOIDAL SILVER FDA, 1999-08-17
  14. ^ a b FDA warning healthymagnets
  15. ^ TGA. Regulation of colloidal silver and related products Therapeutic Goods (Excluded Goods) Order No. 1 of 2005 [1] revoked Therapeutic Goods (Excluded Goods) Order No. 1 of 2004. 9 November 2005 update

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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