Dr. Andrew Maynard, Director of the University of Michigan’s Risk Science Center, has featured seven surprising facts about silver nanoparticles in his latest video in the Risk Bites series. Before getting to the video,here’s an introduction to the topic of silver nanoparticles from a Feb. 18, 2014 posting by Ishani Hewage on the University of Michigan’s Risk Sense blog (Note: A link has been removed),

Silver – known for its germ-killing capabilities – has been used for thousands of years. In recent times though, concerns have been raised over the potential health and environmental risks associated with one particular form of silver that has been used increasingly in a range of products: engineered silver nanoparticle. In this week’s Risk Bites, Andrew Maynard, director of the Risk Science Center, rounds-up seven aspects of silver nanoparticles that might help you weigh up their risks and benefits.

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“Silver has long been used for its medicinal properties,” says Andrew. “People used to intentionally dose themselves with silver nanoparticles in the form a silver laced tonic as a cure-all.”

Nowadays, the use of silver nanoparticles is not just limited to the medical field. The military, athletes and manufactures are increasingly using them to develop smart new technologies that inhibit bacterial growth and enhance overall performance.  These microscopically small particles make it easier to get silver into products without compromising them …

Without more ado, here’s the video, ‘7 surprising facts about silver nanoparticles and health’:

Both the blog posting and this link will lead you to more information about silver nanoparticles.