Silver nanoparticles (Ag NP) – what are they, and what do they do?
Silver nanoparticles – they're in almost everything; your food, clothes, laundry detergent, cosmetics... But what are they? What do they do? Their presence is becoming more prominent and people are beginning to question it. Silver nanoparticles have been beneficial for humans thus far, and have had numerous studies showing that they have no significant negative effects on humans. The problem with silver nanoparticles is the detrimental effects they have on the environment.
So, what are silver nanoparticles? Well, a nanoparticle is anything that is 1-100 nanometres in size (a nanometre is one millionth of a millimetre). And a silver nanoparticle is, obviously, exactly as it is named. Its unique in that it is antimicrobial and non-toxic to humans and animals, so it became very popular in pretty much everything that humans don't want to have germs.
These particles end up in the water system from various routes such as the dumping of waste during production, garbage disposal, wet clothes drying outside, etc. The precise issues this may cause have not yet been narrowed down because a lot of the studies researching this issue are long-term and have not yet been finished. Some short-term studies have found that the silver nanoparticles may bioaccumulate (when a substance accumulates in the flesh/fat of an individual) in fish, becoming toxic over time. It may also inhibit the growth of algae.
One of the long-term studies not yet completed is the overall effect that these silver nanoparticles have on a food chain. Even if, hypothetically, they affect nothing but bacteria or microfauna (microscopic animals), killing the bacteria could result in either an explosion of their food species, or a reduction in their predator, which would result in trophic cascade (a collapse of the entire food chain).
~Rosie
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