Photo: Stock Exchange
An increasing number of commercial products are using nanosilver. From socks, to baby bottles, to bandages, nanoparticles of silver are used to infer antibacterial properties to the product, without affecting its appearance, since the nanoparticles are transparent. However, concern has been raised within the scientific community and within some environmental organizations over the possibility that the nanoparticles of silver get washed away from the product during its use, washing and disposal. And once they are washed out, the question is- where do they go? Do they affect the ecosystem, and induce some toxic effects? Do they interfere with the bacteria used in wastewater treatment? Answering those questions requires some rigorous testing in controlled ecosystems, which is what researchers are doing at Duke University. In this video, a researcher clearly explains the methodology they are following and shows a new laboratory which is a real life ecosystem.
Does Every Silver Lining Have a Cloud? from NISE Network on Vimeo.
At the end, scientists might conclude that an over-use of nanosilver in consumer products could be toxic for the eco-system and its use restricted. As we wait for science to provide answers, one starts to wonder: do we really need to have so many anti-bacterial products?
