Does Nanosilver Have a Pronounced Toxic Effect on Humans?

Abstract

Due to the development of high-tech industries, the modern world is characterized by the increased production and consumption of nanoparticles (NPs) and nanomaterials. Among produced metal nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles are widely used in everyday life products, cosmetics, and medicine. It has already been established that, in nanoscale form, many even inert materials become toxic. Therefore, the study of the toxicity of various substances in nanoscale form is an urgent scientific task. There is now a body of experience on the toxic effect of AgNPs. In the present review, the most well-known results obtained over the 2009–2021 period, including the own performance on the toxicity of silver NPs, are collected and analyzed. Along with the data reporting a certain level of toxicity of silver NPs, experiments that did not reveal any obvious toxicity of nanosized forms of silver are discussed. According to the performed studies, the toxicity of silver NPs is often caused not by NPs themselves but by silver ions, compounds used for nanoparticle stabilization, and other reasons. Based on the analysis of the collected data, it can be concluded that at actual levels of silver NPs used in everyday life, workplace, and medicine, they will not have strong toxic effects on a healthy adult body.