Nano Silver kills microbes - EPA up in Arms
CategoriesMore than a year ago, a little noticed article reported a study that found silver nano particles as found in silver colloids were able to kill HIV, in addition to a broad spectrum of viral bugs. Now, the US health authorities seem to have found a way to prevent this breakthrough from making it into broad public use. According to an article on NewsTarget.com, the Environmental Protection Agency is now selectively targeting nano silver - while practically ignoring pharmaceuticals and toxic chemical pesticides - as an environmental pollutant.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 - FreeMarketNews.com
The Journal of Nanotechnology has published a groundbreaking study that found silver nanoparticles kills HIV-1 and is likely to kill virtually any other virus. The study, which was conducted by the University of Texas and Mexico University, is the first medical study to ever explore the benefits of silver nanoparticles, according to Physorg.During the study, researchers used three different methods of limiting the size of the silver nanoparticles by using capping agents. The capping agents were foamy carbon, poly (PVP), and bovine serum albumin (BSA). The particles ranged in size from 1 to 10 nanometers depending on the method of capping. After incubating the HIV-1 virus at 37 C, the silver particles killed 100% of the virus within 3 hours for all three methods. The scientists believe that the silver particles bonded through glycoprotein knobs on the virus with spacing of about 22 nanometers in length.
While further research is needed, researchers are optimistic that nanological silver may be the silver bullet to kill viruses. The researchers in the study said that they had already begin experiments using silver nanoparticles to kill what is known as the super bug (Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus). Already used as a topical antibiotic in the medical industry, silver may now come under consideration as an alternative to drugs when it comes to fighting previously untreatable viruses such as the Tamiflu resistant avian flu.
According to NewsTarget, the EPA is using emerging regulations on the health effects of nano particles to selectively target colloidal silver products as "pesticides".
A friend who forwarded the article, commented that in the case of a bio weapons attack, silver would probably the most effective antidote. He says it is a real weapon of mass destruction, as far as pathogens are concerned, adding that at last count it will kill over 600 infectious agents on contact while being harmless to the human organism. The question he posits is: "Could this property of silver have something to do with the recent moves to keep this out of the hands of the public?
Here is the recent NewsTarget article:
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EPA uses nanotech regulation ploy to target colloidal silver while ignoring all other nanotech particles
Nanomaterials -- products and materials changed or created at the atomic and molecular level -- are quickly gaining popularity for their multitude of uses, and while the Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to regulate popular nanosilver antibacterial products, ostensibly to protect consumers, critics say the move is a thinly veiled attempt to solely regulate nanosilver as a health supplement.
Nanosilver is used to kill harmful bacteria in food storage containers, shoe liners, washing machines and even bandages. Particles of nanosilver and other nanomaterials can be as small as one-millionth the size of a pinhead. However, the EPA, citing pressure from silver industry workers and environmental groups such as Natural Resources Defense Council, is investigating whether silver ions could pose an environmental threat by killing beneficial bacteria in the environment, or even harming humans. The agency also received a letter from Chuck Weir, chairman of a California wastewater treatment plant advisory group known as Tri-TAC, which claimed "silver is highly toxic to aquatic life at low concentrations and also bioaccumulates in some aquatic organisms, such as clams."Silver was brought under close EPA scrutiny when washing machine manufacturers began making models that were lined with silver ions or sprayed them onto the clothes as an antibacterial agent. Last year, the EPA decided that the machines should not be regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, since they were considered devices rather than pesticides. Recently, however, the agency re-examined its decision and reversed it.
"We took a second look at the release of silver ions, and it was very clear that this is a pesticide and not a device," Jim Jones, director of the EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs, told the Washington Post. "Our original determination proved not to be a correct one."
Under the regulations, any silver product that claims it has antibacterial properties must prove the product is safe to be released into the environment. Mike Adams, a consumer health advocate and proponent of colloidal silver, suggested the regulations might work better were they aimed at antibiotics and pharmaceuticals.
read the rest of the article here...
Links to the articles about nano silver:SILVER KILLS VIRUSES, STUDY FINDS
Study Shows Silver Nanoparticles Attach to HIV-1 virus
Antibacterial paint with nano silver
See also:Keep your laws off my germ-resistant hook - EPA versus the antimicrobial keychain
Apparently, the EPA thinks that, because of those pesky silver particles, the product may be considered a pesticide according to a 1947 law: "The law at issue the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, better known as FIFRA was conceived in 1947 to protect humans from agri-chemicals sprayed by the millions of gallons to kill weeds, plant viruses and bugs." Since nanoparticles are so new, they have not been thoroughly evaluated for safety...Colloidal Silver - The Rediscovery of a Super Antibiotic?
Wikipedia - Colloidal silver controversial
Anyone with good knowledge of colloidal silver might consider contributing to this Wikipedia entry to balance the views expressed there...Berkeley to Regulate Nanotechnology
The City Council is expected Tuesday to amend its hazardous materials law to compel researchers and manufacturers to report what nanotechnology materials they are working with and how they are handling the tiny particles.Silver does more than kill bacteria
new research, published in the journal ChemMedChem (subscription required), indicates that silver goes further than this and modifies cytokines – the enzymes involved in cell growth and movement – leading to reduced inflammation and an increased rate of healing.Antibacterial NanoProducts
A whole range of consumer products are infused with silver or titanium dioxide in order to fight bacteria. Although beneficial for certain uses of silver (medical, burns, etc), there might be negative side effects of these kinds of antibacterials.Man’s Skin Turns Dark Blue
What Karason did was use a substance called colloidal silver, which is made by extracting silver from metal. It goes into water with an electrical current and then you drink it. Colloidal silver is billed as something that will cure just about everything that ails you and Karason swears by it. Karason does not believe drinking the potion is what caused his discoloration. He believes it happened because he rubbed it on his face to treat a skin problem. A medical condition called Argyria has been linked to such discoloration since the days when silver solutions were used as antibiotics.
Silver Nanoparticles Deadly to Bacteria
In contrast to the usual methods of producing metal nanoparticles, which involve the use of toxic solvents and highly reactive chemical reducing agents, the paint is produced in a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally safe manner, because the nanoparticles are synthesized directly in the paint itself. The team's new method makes use of a natural, oxidative property of paint that occurs during drying.To test the antibacterial properties of the paint, the team incubated E. coli bacteria overnight on a plain glass slide, a slide coated in normal paint, and a slide coated with the nanoparticle paint. They found that the paint embedded with silver particles killed all the bacteria in comparison to the control slides, a result that confirms that the nanoparticles are toxic to bacteria.
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