Open AccessThe biological fate of silver ions following the use of silver‐containing wound care products – a review
Author(s) -
Walker Michael,
Parsons David
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international wound journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.867
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1742-481X
pISSN - 1742-4801
DOI - 10.1111/j.1742-481x.2012.01115.x
Subject(s) - silver sulfadiazine , medicine , wound care , silver nanoparticle , toxicity , intensive care medicine , antimicrobial , dermatology , wound healing , surgery , microbiology and biotechnology , nanotechnology , biology , materials science , nanoparticle
Ionic silver has a long history as an antimicrobial in human health care. This article is a review of the published literature on how ionic silver may enter the body from exposure to silver‐containing wound care products and its eventual metabolic fates, in an assessment of the safety during normal use of these products in wound care. Following the application to breached skin, there appears to be little evidence of localised or systemic toxicity, and this is borne out by the continuous use of silver sulfadiazine formulations for more than 50 years. Consequently, following normal use, the risk of silver ion toxicity locally and systemically is considered to be low or negligible.