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I'm suspicious that perhaps silver nanowires might be a health risk? I believe finely-divided silver can be toxic, at least in some circumstances. Also, it's a
by denton-scratch 2y ago
I'm suspicious that perhaps silver nanowires might be a health risk? I believe finely-divided silver can be toxic, at least in some circumstances.
Also, it's a composite with a plastic material, and would probably resist all attempts to recycle it, resulting eventually in microplastics (contaminated with metallic silver).
- cyberax 2y agoSilver is uniquely non-toxic among heavy metals. You can consume a lot of it without consequences. Some people do, look up "colloidal silver". However, it also has a long elimination half-life, and it can stain the skin.
- Palomides 2y agosilver has been used for a while in antimicrobial fabrics, to my knowledge it's pretty safe
- abracadaniel 2y agoSomething that kills cells on contact doesn’t sound particularly safe.
- mrcartmeneses 2y agoLike alcohol or oxygen?
- btilly 2y agoI am concerned about all kinds of nanowires. If they are sufficiently strong, they should be able to damage your lungs in the exact same way that asbestos does. Not through a chemical reaction, but a mechanical process that damages cells. The damage makes it easier to mutate. Which creates a long-term potential for cancer. Silver nanowires should not be as strong as carbon nanotubes. But are they stronger than cell walls? If so, the potential exists for the same kind of harm as asbestos. Will we only learn whether it happens in practice only after they are widely used?
- SkyPuncher 2y agoAsbestos is dangerous because it will not decompose in your body.
- throwaway290 2y agoNeither will silver.
- mrcartmeneses 2y agoDo you mean cell membranes? Animals such as humans do not have cell walls outside of their cell membranes like many bacteria, plants, fungi etc.
- btilly 2y agoI do, thanks for the correction. Asbestos gets into our lungs, winds up poking us, and does a lot of damage on the way out. If it ever gets out. Some fibers can get stuck for years. It's entirely mechanical. Any strong enough fiber of a similar size and shape will create the same class of problems.
- throwaway290 2y agoDo you know any way of testing for asbestos at home (outside of US so can't send a sample anywhere and don't know any labs in the area if there even are any)?