silver 4.sil.002 Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire

A broad array of consumer and medical products employ billionths-of-a-meter scale silver particles as embedded disinfectants. A study now suggests that if those nanoparticles get loose and into the body, they might wreak havoc with the human immune system. Documented effects occurred at very low concentrations — levels as minute as parts per trillion or even, sometimes, one-thousandth that much (i.e. parts per quadrillion).

Perturbing immunity could, of course, be very bad.

I ran into the new study on the last day of the Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry’s North America annual meeting in late November. Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire Although one of dozens of studies focusing on potentially toxic impacts of nanoproducts, this study was the only one I encountered that quantified effects on human cells. Its findings, albeit preliminary, reinforce why nanoscale additives should be thoroughly tested before they’re marketed in a way that might let them loose into the environment, much less into our bodies.http://LOUIS-J-SHEEHAN.US



When Christopher Perkins and his colleagues at the University of Connecticut’s Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering learned about new medical tubing that was lined with nanosilver particles, it got them curious where else these tiny silver bits were being employed.

Perkins turned up a website by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, a program developed by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Pew Charitable Trusts. The site hosts a growing inventory of products relying on nanoparticles. At present, it describes 235 products using nanosilver. These range from toothpastes, pet shampoos, fabric softeners, bath towels, medicines, cosmetics, deodorizers, and baby clothes, to nanosilver-lined baby bottles, refrigerators, food-leftovers containers, and kitchen cutting boards. There were also silver-enhanced electric shavers, curling irons, ankle braces, wrist bands, women’s bras, ATM buttons, and handrails for buses.

Imagine a place you don’t want to see germs breeding and someone has conceived of a nanosilver product to smite those bugs. Most of these novel goods currently seem to be coming out of Asia.

Published studies have also begun describing immune-system impacts of nanosilver. For instance, one preliminary study by researchers in South Korea (home to many nanosilver-products companies) reported last year in International Immunopharmacology that nanosilver particles can alter the production of immune signaling compounds known as cytokines. The authors’ conclusion: “These experimental data suggest that nano-silver could be used to treat immunologic and inflammatory diseases.”

And in a controlled medical setting, that might be true. But what about in an uncontrolled setting — like in your formula-guzzling baby’s stomach, in the pores of skin slathered with silver-enhanced cosmetics or moisturizers, or in the air of a home doused with an odor-combatting silver spray?

Perkins’ group began pondering whether ingestion or some other internal contact with loosened particles would necessarily be safe, much less beneficial. So they took silver particles that were 10 or 50 nanometers in diameter and incubated them with various types of human cells. Then they quantified “innate” immunity responses — ones that don’t rely on antibodies.

They found that the tinier silver nanoparticles tended to ratchet down the secretion of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor, also known as TNF, and of various interleukins such as IL-6. This occurred at the parts-per-quadrillion level. Such cytokine suppression, Perkins says, indicates “your immune system is not operating at peak capacity by any stretch.”

The larger particles? They exhibited almost no effect on cytokines, regardless of the test concentration.

The Connecticut researchers then focused on the ability of immune cells to gobble up foreign bodies for disposal. In their tests, the foreign bodies amounted to tiny naked beads — ones lacking any silver coating. Cells encountered the beads alone or after a three-hour exposure to nanosilver. And the nano-pretreatment at parts per million concentrations increased dramatically the rate at which cells gobbled up the foreign beads.

Is that good or bad? Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire Perkins says it’s hard to know. It’s important that cells can clear out pathogens, which the beads were meant to mimic. However, if cells get overly aggressive in this gobbling behavior, they not only waste precious energy but also risk accidentally trying to eat up healthy cells. Sort of a cannibalism. Clearly, that would not be healthy.

Finally, the researchers measured the ability of cells encountering nanosilver to release a “respiratory burst” of free radicals — chemically reactive molecular fragments that can damage or kill cells. Free radicals are supposed to be deadly: their reason for being is to kill invading germs or sick cells that need to die and be cleared from the body.

Ten-nanometer silver particles increased respiratory bursts at the parts per trillion level, which “is probably bad,” Perkins says. “You’ve got all of these free radicals that have to go somewhere. And they’re pretty nonspecific in what they target. Which means they’ll kill healthy cells as well as bacteria or other pathogens.”

By contrast, the 50 nm silver had less of an effect on free-radical generation, except at relatively high parts per billion concentrations. There they tended to diminish free-radical production.

The take-home message, Perkins says, would appear to be that silver nanoparticles can materially alter immunity, in some instances “taking away the ability for your immune system to deal with pathogens.” That may be an acceptable tradeoff in people who are very sick and for whom the disinfectant properties of nanosilver prove beneficial.

It’s also possible, Perkins points out, that the effects his team is reporting would be smaller in a person. Remember, to date they’ve only been witnessed in a test-tube full of white blood cells or other immune cells.

The proverbial “more work needs to be done” applies, he says. But he emphasizes that the findings by his team and others are too troubling to ignore. Which means more work really does need to be done before anyone can rest assured that nanoparticles are benign.

Unfortunately, an uncontrolled experiment to study those effects is already underway in nations that permit the wholesale production and consumer marketing of nanosilver-enhanced products.

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Comments 5

* Colloid Silver has been used for the treatment of medical ailments for over 100 years due to its natural antibacterial and antifungal properties. The nano-silver particles typically measure 25nm. They have extremely large relative surface area, increasing their contact with bacteria or fungi, and vastly improving its bactericidal and fungicidal effectiveness.

The Colloid nano-silver when in contact with bacteria and fungus will adversely affect cellular metabolism and inhibit cell growth. The Colloid nano-silver suppresses respiration, basal metabolism of electron transfer system, and transport of substrate in the microbial cell membrane. The Colloid nano-silver inhibits multiplication and growth of those bacteria and fungi which cause infection, odour, itchiness and sores.

Colloid Nano-Silver: An Exceptional Antibiotic

Colloidal Silver is the only antibiotic known reportedly to kill all types of viruses, funguses and bacteria. Colloidal Silver is also the only antibiotic known to be perfectly harmless to all parts of the body. Whilst the liver and kidneys can be harmed by other antibiotics, Colloidal Silver promotes healing without any known side-effects.


How Does Nano-Silver Work?


Colloid Nano-Silver is non-toxic to mammals, reptiles, plants and all living things that are not of a one-celled structure. One-celled life uses a different method of Oxygen metabolism, herein lies its weakness. Since Nano-Silver acts only as a catalyst, meaning, it influences a change in the rate, or occurrence of a reaction of one-celled organisms, but does not enter into any chemical reaction with the body tissues. The mere presence of Colloid Nano-Silver near any virus, fungus or bacterium (one celled disease causing pathogens) will immediately cripple their oxygen-metabolizing enzyme, or chemical lung, which suffocates and dies usually within six minutes. The dead organism is subsequently cleared out of the body by the immune and lymphatic system.


Body tissues having 5 parts per million (5ppm) of Colloid Nano-Silver will be free of virus, fungus and bacterium. Colloid Nano Silver particles are long lived in the body because they do not enter into a reaction, but act catalytically. A catalyst is best described as a substance that brings about, or causes a reaction or occurrence without itself participating or being consumed. The Colloid Nano-Silver particles act as a catalyst in disabling a particular enzyme, best described as "chemical lung", as it transfers oxygen and nutrients through the cells walls of the disease causing organism. The organism suffocates! The mere proximity of Colloid Nano-Silver particles will cripple the activity of the particular enzyme common to all viruses, funguses and bacteria - whilst not affecting the enzymes of tissue type cells. Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire

How Healing is Accelerated?


Mitosis (the usual cell division in the body tissue) is when two new, identical cells are formed. When Colloid Nano-Silver is present in the body tissue, some of the divisions will be different. One duplicate cell and one dedifferentiated cell are formed. The dedifferentiated cell is like a baby cell that can change into any type of cell in the body. It will naturally migrate to a part of the body where there is tissue damage, where the cell changes to a local tissue cell, adding to the normal cell repair in the injured area and greatly lessening scar tissue formation.


While studying silver some researchers have observed a variety of cells which are primitive in appearance, looking just like the active cells in bone marrow of children. These cells grew fast, reproducing a diverse and surprising assortment of primitive cell forms including fully dedifferentiated and rounded fibroblasts.


Many researchers are of the opinion that silver is in fact an essential element, not because it is required for any mammalian enzyme system, but conversely, because since it is an anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal metabolite that disables specific enzymes that pathogenic and parasitic anaerobic micro-organisms use for respiration, Colloid Nano-Silver functions as a systemic anti-anaerobic microbial and immune system supporter, which may be impaired by a silver deficiency.
Jordan O'Hara Cure Zone
Mar. 9, 2009 at 11:24am
* Nanotechnology is a rapidly growing science of producing and utilizing nano-sized particles that measure in nanometers (1 nm = 1 billionth of a metre). One nanomaterial that is having an early impact in healthcare products is nano-silver. Silver has been used for the treatment of medical ailments for over 100 years due to its natural antibacterial and antifungal properties. http://LOUIS-J-SHEEHAN.US

The nano-silver particles typically measure 25nm. They have extremely large relative surface area, increasing their contact with bacteria or fungi, and vastly improving its bactericidal and fungicidal effectiveness. Some appliances may not be worth looking into getting quick loans to get your hands on them. A growing number of home appliances, such as dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, have a dose of a potentially toxic particle, called nano silver, also known as silver nano, a patented form of colloidal silver or silver particles that are spread out on the molecular level. You couldn't get enough quick loans to get the microscope you'd need to see them. The Environmental Protection Agency has yet to publish testing results, but it is believed that nano-silver has toxic effects. Silver poisoning is known to be toxic. The chelation therapy you need to reverse it costs more than a few quick loans worth. To read more about this article check out athttp://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2009/02/24/nano-silver-quick-loans/
Jovanni W Jovanni W
Mar. 5, 2009 at 1:16am
* Response to Article “Nanosilver Disinfects – but at What Price?

There have been many articles praising the germ killing properties of silver nano particles while casting doubts about the harmful effects they might have on the immune system and/or the environment. As the Senior Scientific Advisor to Colloidal Science Laboratories (CSL), in our experience there has been nothing but good results reported concerning effect on the immune system, and we have experimental proof that the nanoparticles do not remain “nano” in size once they contact any parts of the environment (earth, sand, water from various sources, sunlight). The rapid growth rate greatly reduces the surface area of the particles and, concurrently, greatly diminishes biological activity. Let us take these issues in order.

First of all, examine the question of whether or not nanosilver harms the beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.
The small intestine in a healthy individual is teaming with various strains of acidophilus which silver nano particles may potentially kill if it proceeded far enough through the GI tract. We believe that silver nano particles are absorbed in the first feet of the small intestine and therefore should not progress far enough through the GI to cause any problems.
It may well be that, in a healthy person whose small intestine is fully colonized by various strains of acidophilus, there would be no noticeable adverse affect from ingestion of colloidal silver; but a person whose intestines are already compromised due to some other condition (yeast, diverticulitis, etc.) may find that they should take an acidophilus supplement. Yeast is a natural occurrence in everyone's intestinal tract. In a healthy person, yeast may constitute about 5-10% of the total flora in the intestinal tract, and as long as the acidophilus is the predominant constituent in the small intestine, yeast cannot get out of control.
However, when doctors prescribe one antibiotic after another the antibiotics destroy all colonies of acidophilus in the small intestine and the yeast can then grow completely out of control very rapidly. Through the yeast's normal metabolic processes, it creates a pH that is much more alkaline than is conducive to the growth and proliferation of acidophilus, and the acidophilus cannot reestablish itself once the yeast has taken over. Thus, anything that has antibiotic properties that is taken over a long period of time could potentially compromise the colonies of acidophilus and allow yeast to take over. Basically, anything that reduces the amount of healthy flora in my intestinal tract will only serve to assist the yeast.
In practice, very few users have reported any problems in their GI tract as a result of using silver nano particles. Those that believe they have experienced a change in their GI tract have used an acidophilus supplement on an occasional basis and experienced no further difficulty. Silver nano particle do not accumulate in the body, but are flushed out daily in normal bodily excretions.
Furthermore, regular users of silver nano particles have reported overwhelmingly an improvement in health and an apparent resistance to disease and infection, indicating that their immune systems are improving, not being compromised. In vitro studies by EMSL Laboratories have confirmed the effectiveness of silver nano particles against virtually every kind of pathogen.
The second question concerns the effect of silver nanoparticles on the environment. Anyone who has tried to make nano particles knows that nanoparticles do not remain “nanosize” for very long when they come in contact with normal environmental samples, such as soil and water, but they agglomerate to form much larger, much less biologically effective, silver particles which are non-toxic, non-ionic and have no history of being harmful to the environment or aquatic life. Even the researchers who are questioning the harmfulness agree that the larger particles are simply harmless silver metal.
For example, in my paper, “Nanoparticles – No Threat to the Environment”, which can be found in its entirety at www.purestcolloids.com, in the learning center section, it was shown that an 80% reduction in surface area, and therefore high reduction in biological activity, took place in a brief period of time. Furthermore, the zeta potential was in the wrong region to support colloidal stability.
These facts were submitted as a paper to “Environmental Science and Technology”. This journal, which is already publishing counter opinions, dismissed the paper in record time without contacting any of the referees whose names were suggested for the paper. It is clear the this journal is not interested in getting at the truth, but in supporting the positions of big Pharma, whose financial interests are in jeopardy because of the growing trend toward natural cures, such as colloidal silver.

george maass george maass
Dec. 17, 2008 at 3:38pm
* I suspect that the colloidal silver information is on the way. There is a ton of research on this product and much misinformation as well. The nano scale findings are troubling to say the least. I had no idea that nano silver was so ubiquitous. (Janet, will this information appear in a print SNL?). My local Coop market will be interested in this information. Thanks.
richard search richard search Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire
Dec. 1, 2008 at 7:04am
* I'm disappointed there's no comparison to colloidal silver, a well known cure-all that has the side effect of turning people's skin blue - permanently. If the size and shape of colloidal silver particles is similar to the high tech & trendy "nanoscale" then perhaps much accidental research has already been done in humans.

While I did a Google search - colloidal silver skin - looking for an individual's cautionary tale, http://dermatology.cdlib.org/111/case_reports/argyria/wadhera.html is a more