What is Silver?
Silver is a naturally occurring element. It is found in the environment combined with other elements such as sulfide, chloride, and nitrate. Pure silver is “silver” colored, but silver nitrate and silver chloride are powdery white and silver sulfide and silver oxide are dark-gray to black. Silver is often found as a by-product during the retrieval of copper, lead, zinc, and gold ores. Silver is used to make jewelry, silverware, electronic equipment, and dental fillings. It is also used to make photographs, in brazing alloys and solders, to disinfect drinking water and water in swimming pools, and as an antibacterial agent. Silver has also been used in lozenges and chewing gum to help people stop smoking.
Silver is a metallic chemical element with an atomic number of 47 and the symbol Ag. The “Ag,” incidentally, is from the Latin word argentum, which means “silver.” Silver is probably one of the more well known chemical elements, since some people own silver jewelry or utensils, and a number of cultures have traditional beliefs and myths about silver. Silver also has industrial uses in addition to ornamental ones, and it is heavily mined around the world to meet global demand. Humans have been aware of the existence of silver for thousands of years, and it has long been prized as a precious metal. Archaeological digs sometimes uncover silver artifacts ranging from silver-plated armor to elaborate silver jewelry. Silver is relatively ductile, although it is not as soft as gold, and it is relatively easy to work or alloy with other metals such as copper. In a pure form, silver is a lustrous metal with high thermal and electric conductivity, although it tarnishes easily, so many silver obj
This Public Health Statement is the summary chapter from the Toxicological Profile for silver. It is one in a series of Public Health Statements about hazardous substances and their health effects. A shorter version, the ToxFAQs™, is also available. This information is important because this substance may harm you. The effects of exposure to any hazardous substance depend on the dose, the duration, how you are exposed, personal traits and habits, and whether other chemicals are present. For more information, call the ATSDR Information Center at 1-888-422-8737.
