How does silver toxicity occur?
Silver enters the body either by mechanical impregnation of the skin by small silver particles or by ingestion of silver compounds. Most occupational argyria is due to the direct impregnation of silver salts from prolonged contact with skin. Silver taken orally or absorbed by mucous membranes is carried through blood bound to the plasma protein albumin. Some of this silver is carried as a salt and may be deposited in various tissues, with highest concentrations found in the skin, liver, spleen and adrenals. Most absorbed silver is excreted in faeces and some in the urine. Recently there have been several reports of people getting argyria after using colloidal silver-based products as ‘cure-alls’. In several cases patients were manufacturing colloidal silver suspension at home using instructions downloaded from the Internet.
