Assessment of Nanosilver In Textiles On the Danish Market: No Likely Risk to Environment or Humans
In a six-month study (Sept. 2011 to March 2012) funded by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, carried out by the Danish Technological Institute and published by the Danish Ministry of the Environment, it was found that nanosilver in textiles including various forms of clothing as well as cleaning cloths and children’s toys pose “no risk of health effects or environmental effects.”
Indeed, regarding the potential for harm to the environment, the study authors unequivocally state, “…the scenario for environmental exposure through discharge of sewage effluent is not likely to pose a risk of biological effects in the aquatic environment arising from the use of nanosilver in textiles…” And regarding human exposure, the researchers further state, “The calculated risk ratios relevant for the three selected human exposure scenarios indicate that the risk from each individual scenario is very low. Also combined exposures from different sources with similar migration patterns are not likely to pose an unacceptable risk to consumers based on the findings in this study.”
