Study Finds Commonly Used Silver Nanoparticles Are Deadly to Microbes, Plants

If I were to put a high concentration of ANYTHING on a single spot and maintain that concentration for 6 months, it will wreak havok on that area. Nature is about balance, if the area is isolated and not able to distribute as it would due normally, then DUH of course it's going to be a problem.

The bristlecone pine absorbs silver into its root system. Of course, that's not the only thing that makes it special; it also lacks the genes for death (it will never die due to aging.) They represent the oldest non-cloning form of life on the planet and don't seem to thrive with silver in the soil... On the other hand, this study neglects to factor in countless variables which occur in the wild but not in an isolated and otherwise sterile (beyond intention) environment.

I find it ludicrous that our general mindset to any new technology/chemistry/whatever is "prove it's harmful" instead of "prove it's safe".

Where are the studies that show (without the apparent faults of this study such as not including "countless variables which occur in the wild but not in an isolated and otherwise sterile...environment") that using these anti-microbial nano-particles is safe?

Seems to me like were are on a constant treadmill of "invent some crap, start using it... realize it's deadly/poisonous/harmful, replace it with new crap, start using it, and realize it's deadly/poisonous/harmful, replace with new crap... and on and on"

How about we use the simple, "low-tech" solution of population control and proven-for-thousands-of-years techniques in agriculture/resource harvesting.

What the hell is the point of having 7 billion people around all at the same time if in 200 years our earth is going to be so depleted and so polluted with all of our "tech" that it's only capable of sustaining the simplest forms of life?

I thought mimicking shark scales yielded the surface anti-bacterial properties that these nano-particles have. I would look more towards nature for most of our needs in health matters, but you can't replace the usefulness of nano-particles in technology applications. We just need to learn to also pick up after ourselves.

This sounds very bad and definitely needs to be investigated further...

We all remember the big hole in the ozone. It has basically been repaired. CFCs were used for decades before people realized they were bad. When we did, the ENTIRE world stopped using all CFCs almost immediately and as a result we saw an instant effect on the ozone. Asbestos took a little longer to get rid of but was FAR more prevalent. If this silver nano particle really is that dangerous I have no doubt they will stop using just like with CFCs and find a better alternative just like with asbestos.

@B.V.
"I find it ludicrous that our general mindset to any new technology/chemistry/whatever is "prove it's harmful" instead of "prove it's safe"."

I don't think that is true in the LEAST. I think scientists test various whatever (materials, foods, manufacturing techniques, anything) to see WHAT THEIR EFFECT IS. good or bad. its really simple human curiosity (just like building the fastest car, and guess what? they built that Lego tower i was talking about, in Brazil i think). And lets face it, we still don't know most of the causes of cancer, birth defects, etc etc. Their are chemicals today that we ingest everyday that are more than likely a little dangerous but we don't even understand why yet. and besides what is wrong with PROVING IT HARMFUL. if it is harmful. I want to know!!! I don't think scientists would release a product to the public unless they thought it was safe. so the "prove it safe" phase begun before you ever ate, used it, or even heard of it. its was after the fact that someone began to question other aspects of said whatever.

@B.V.
can you explain what you mean by this: "How about we use the simple, "low-tech" solution of population control and proven-for-thousands-of-years techniques in agriculture/resource harvesting. "

are you talking about killing people? I really don't know what you mean by population control.

"proven-for-thousands-of-years techniques in agriculture/resource harvesting."

I really don't know what you mean by this. are you talking about slave labor to manually harvest crops?

The article is saying that silver nano particles from things like sun screen are getting into our envoirment such as ground soil.

I dont know what silver nano particle induced sun screen has to do with population control and agricultural techniques.

And.. we didn't just create these silver nanoparticals from nothing. Everything we have today, no matter what form it is in, was here already, we have simply altered it's form. There is no such thing as "man made" only "man assembled" or "man reassembled".

The total atomic weight of the planet has only changed by what we have either sent into space, or taken from space (or by whatever small amount of gas leaks out on it's own). Everything else, gets converted, adjusted or reused in some way shape or form.

It's not "Save the planet" it's "Save the Species" the earth will still be here spinning long after we all kill ourselves off.

@inaka_rob...actually the ozone hole has not repaired itself, still there and the whole planet did not stop using CFCs only the countries that signed the aggreement not to, Montreal Protocol...it is amusing how your posts go from very good to total crap made up by you, or are you just trolling? http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=49040 are you really trying to infer you never heard of population control other than killing people? never mind, you are a troll

@drchuck1 oh I know. It is still HUGE. and VERY much a hole. It is still growing actually. What the world accomplished was stopping the acceleration of the growth caused in large part to the CFCs.
For decades the hole was growing at a steady rate. CFCs caused a HUGE spike in the growth.
thank you for nitpicking my comment.
I can not see how you call me a troll, when you are just as bad for nitpicking. of course I don't mean EVERY SINGLE country and person, but ESSENTIALLY the world stopped using CFCs for daily use items. I just read up on the Montreal Protocol. thanks for the heads up. My point was it was an unprecedented and rather fast global change and environmental effort. and I have faith in the world to do so again.

And I was not trolling. if you can stop being an $$$ for 1 min I will explain my self.
NO I have not heard of other population control other than murder. It was an honest question! and I posted it as one!

I am on popsci to ask questions, answers others if I can, and most of all add to the discussions. I was asking my questions in true honesty.

to me pop control means killings. is birth-control a type of pop control?... i guess. but to me birth control is just that birth control. i dont know. I am asking! not trolling

please explain to me what you think i made up. If I got something wrong. PLEASE by all means correct me. there is no reason to belittle me and be rude.

well, first, a complete reversal on the ozone hole, second , it is hard to believe you don't realize birth control is population control, duh, less births=less people, your right about one thing, i am an as$, i call 'em as i see 'em, it only pisses off the ones that are called out, just stick to the facts and really, most people on here see right through stupid statements, what's rude is you thinking we are dumb enough to swallow your crap, oops there i go again, being an as$

@inaka_rob,

I think it's a bit naive to say that scientists test things extensively before releasing them into the "wild" so to speak.

Good testing requires two things: money and imagination. Let's assume that the scientists are imaginative enough to come up with every single way that their new chemicals could be harmful, who pays for the testing?

Remember, most of the times the companies who pay the scientists to create their stuff are trying to make profits--they are biased to create the appearance of safe products.

That leaves regulatory agencies to do the testing... these are funded by tax dollars. I dare you to run on a campaign of "I'm going to raise taxes to increase government bureaucracy to slow down the pace of technological/economic growth so we can better test products before mass producing them."

;)

As for the other questions you had, obviously population control != killing people. Of course it means birth control and family planning...

The thousand-year-old agricultural practices are obviously NOT "slave labor"--it's organic/sustainability based farming practices.

Check out http://www.polyfacefarms.com/story.aspx for more info about how it can be done--in todays world, with no unsustainable/polluting chemical fertilizers/pesticides/hormones.

A point should be made here that silver will not stay metallic for all that long in the open environment as it has an extreme affinity for sulfur.Forms a black insoluble sulfide that one usually sees on old silverware.Many silver based minerals are of the sulfide too.Its extreme affinity for sulfur is so extreme that heating molten sulfur in silverware can rapidly penetrate the tableware rendering it into a brittle sulfide.Tarnishing silver is from hydrogen sulfide as in rotten egg gas, so its common to find it in the air or foods.Plan some experiments recovering scrap silver from plated objects using it.
The insolubility is also a reason to not concern yourself with this as what wont dissolve tends to stay put.In fact mercuric chloride is a deadly poison, as it dissolve in water, but mercurious chloride that will not dissolve in water so stays in your intestines, and was actually used as a medicine. I think it was to treat parasites but am not sure now.

A society that fails to celebrate the architects of its own future has less future to celibate

PG&E has been seeding clouds here "The Lake Almanor Basin" in Northern CA. since the 50's. 11 ground based seeders located atop local moutain ridges here. The environment, the population, fish and aquatic life, are in rapid decline health wise. I live here, I see whats happening. Yes, silver in nano form will kill everything in it's path. Excellent article, what took you guys so long?