Exposure-Related Health Effects of Silver and Silver Compounds: A Review

Details

• Personal Author:
  Drake, Pamela L. ; Hazelwood KJ
• Description:
  A critical review of studies examining exposures to the various forms of silver was conducted to determine if some silver species are more toxic than others. The impetus behind conducting this review is that several occupational exposure limits and guidelines exist for silver, but the values for each depend on the form of silver as well as the individual agency making the recommendations. For instance, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists has established separate threshold limit values for metallic silver (0.1 mg/m(3)) and soluble compounds of silver (0.01 mg/m(3)). On the other hand, the permissible exposure limit (PEL) recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the recommended exposure limit set by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is 0.01 mg/m(3) for all forms of silver. The adverse effects of chronic exposure to silver are a permanent bluish-gray discoloration of the skin (argyria) or eyes (argyrosis). Most studies discuss cases of argyria and argyrosis that have resulted primarily from exposure to the soluble forms of silver. Besides argyria and argyrosis, exposure to soluble silver compounds may produce other toxic effects, including liver and kidney damage, irritation of the eyes, skin, respiratory, and intestinal tract, and changes in blood cells. Metallic silver appears to pose minimal risk to health. The current occupational exposure limits do not reflect the apparent difference in toxicities between soluble and metallic silver; thus, many researchers have recommended that separate PELs be established. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Digestive System Digestive System Diseases Environmental Monitoring Eye Diseases Eye Foreign Bodies Hazardous Substances Liver Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Silver Skin Urogenital Diseases Urogenital System

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• Keywords:
  Argyrosis Author Keywords: Argyria Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Exposure-limits Eye-disorders Eye-irritants Health-hazards Kidney-damage Liver-damage Occupational-exposure Occupational Exposure Occupational Exposure Limits Respiratory-system-disorders Silver Silver-compounds Skin-irritants Toxic-effects Toxins

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  0003-4878
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  SRL - Spokane Research Laboratory
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  49
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20028552
• Citation:
  Ann Occup Hyg 2005 Oct; 49(7):575-585
• Contact Point Address:
  Pamela L. Drake, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Spokane Research Laboratory, 315 E. Montgomery Avenue, Spokane, WA 99207, USA
• Email:
  pdrake@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Silver (CAS RN 7440-22-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2006
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Occupational Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a745c4380a954087d3602b23d1c50dfa5a0dda787b894bc2f33e346dcae12008e0f29529732b6e3487bff837cb4d86cb4ce9daf54af327f5e9ca2f9cef29a9dd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/221112/cdc_221112_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 105.96 KB ]