Colloidal Silver

Colloidal Silver

August 15, 2003

Colloidal Silver:
Risk Without Benefit
Stephen Barrett, M.D.

Colloidal silver is a suspension of submicroscopic metallic
silver particles in a colloidal base. Long-term use of
silver preparations can lead to argyria, a condition in
which silver salts deposit in the skin, eyes, and internal
organs, and the skin turns ashen-gray. Many cases of
argyria occurred during the pre-antibiotic era when silver
was a common ingredient in nosedrops. When the cause became
apparent, doctors stopped recommending their use, and
reputable manufacturers stopped producing them. The
official drug guidebooks (United States Pharmacopeia and
National Formulary) have not listed colloidal silver
products since 1975.

Dubious Ads
In recent years, silver-containing products have been
marketed with unsubstantiated claims that they are
effective against AIDS, cancer, infectious diseases,
parasites, chronic fatigue, acne, warts, hemorrhoids,
enlarged prostate, and many other diseases and conditions.
Some marketers claim that colloidal silver is effective
against hundreds of diseases.

During 1997 and 1998, Changes International, a
Florida-based multilevel company, stated:

Our colloidal silver contains 99.99% pure silver particles
suspended indefinitely in demineralized water that kills
bacteria and viruses. It can be applied topically and/or
absorbed into the blood stream sub-lingually (under the
tongue), thereby avoiding the negative effects of
traditional antibiotics that kill good bacteria in the
lower digestive tract.

An all natural antibiotic alternative in the purest form
available. The presence of colloidal silver near a virus,
fungi, bacterium or any other single celled pathogen
disables its oxygen-metabolism enzyme, its chemical lung,
so to say. The pathogens suffocates and dies, and is
cleared out of the body by the immune, lymphatic and
elimination systems.

Unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics which destroy beneficial
enzymes, colloidal silver leaves these beneficial enzymes
intact. Thus colloidal silver is absolutely safe for
humans, reptiles, plants and all multi-celled living
matter.

It is impossible for single-celled germs to mutate into
silver-resistant forms, as happens with conventional
antibiotics. Also, colloidal silver cannot interact or
interfere with other medicines being taken. Colloidal
silver is truly a safe, natural remedy for many of
mankind's ills. Colloidal silver can be taken indefinitely
because the body does not develop a tolerance to it [1]

Seasilver International, a California-based multilevel
company, claims that American are suffering from "silver
deficiency." Although silver is not an essential nutrient,
product information posted on the company's Web site
states:

The depletion of minerals in our soil has left us deficient
of silver, one of our most essential trace minerals,
causing a drastic increase in immune system disorders in
our society in the last decade. Research has taught us that
all disease is allowed to manifest itself because of a
weakened immune system. In over 20 years of worldwide
research on Colloidal Silver, numerous interviews with
government agencies, health care practitioners and their
patients, no other nutrient, herb or drug (prescription or
over-the-counter) is as safe and effective against all
known forms of unfriendly virus, bacteria, and fungus.
Additionally, while it is generally known that most
antibiotics kill only perhaps 6 or 7 different disease
organisms, reports have shown that Colloidal Silver has
been used successfully in the treatment of over 650
diseases! Furthermore, strains of disease organisms fail to
develop in the presence of Colloidal Silver. Colloidal
Silver's greatest attribute is its unique ability to
function as a superior second immune system in the body!
[2]

Critical Studies and Case Reports
In 1995, an herbal distributor named Leslie Taylor tested
nine commonly marketed colloidal silver products available
at health-food stores and concluded:

Two of the products were contaminated with microorganisms.
The amount of silver suspended in solution varied from
product to product and would gradually decrease over time.
Only five products actually showed antibacterial activity
in a laboratory test. To perform the test, she prepared a
culture plate with Staphylococcus aureas bacteria, which
can cause infections in humans. She then placed a drop from
each product on the plate and used disks of two common
antibiotics as controls. After eight hours of incubation,
she found that bacterial growth had been inhibited around
the antibiotics and four of the products.
Of course, the fact that a product inhibits bacteria in a
laboratory culture doesn't mean it is effective (or safe)
in the human body. In fact, products that kill bacteria in
the laboratory would be more likely to cause argyria
because they contain more silver ions that are free to
deposit in the user's skin.

FDA laboratory studies have found that the amount of silver
in some product samples has varied from 15.2% to 124% of
the amount listed on the product labels. The amount of
silver required to produce argyria is unknown. However, the
FDA has concluded that the risk of using silver products
exceeds any unsubstantiated benefit [3]. So far, seven
cases of argyria related to silver products have been
reported:

A 56-year-old man who had sold and used colloidal silver
for three years, developed blue/gray discoloration of his
fingernails accompanied by a very high blood level of
silver [4].
A married couple who had three years of daily consumption
of a drink prepared by administering an electrolytic charge
to a bowl of water that contained a silver bar [5].
Another couple had been taking a silver-containing "dietary
supplement" prescribed by a naturopath [5].
A mentally ill man who had been drinking silver-containing
herbal tea for about 10 months [5].
Stan Jones, Montana's Libertarian Party candidate for the
U.S. Senate, who reportedly started taking colloidal silver
in 1999 for fear that Y2K disruptions might lead to a
shortage of antibiotics. He made his own concoction by
electrically two silver wires in a glass of water [6].
Enforcement Actions
Between October 1993 and September 1994, the FDA issued
warning letters to five colloidal silver marketers::

Higher Education Library Publications (H.E.L.P.), of
Springfield, Utah, was ordered to stop claiming that its
colloidal silver product was effective as a natural
antibiotic and might be effective against cancer,
genito-urinary diseases, tuberculosis, and AIDS.
Nutrition, Inc., of Arvada, Colorado, was ordered to stop
stating or implying that its Silvicidal, when administered
orally or intravenously, was nontoxic, FDA-approved, and
was a broad-spectrum antibiotic that killed bacteria and
all virus and fungal infections. In addition, it was
falsely claimed to be effective against a long list of
specific diseases.
Reseau International of Cincinnati, Ohio was ordered to
stop claiming that its colloidal silver product was a
"natural antibiotic and anti-inflammatory immune system
stimulant" and that it was effective against cancer, staph,
strep, influenza, general body infections, inflammation,
impaired immune system, fungus toxicity, tonsillitis,
Meniere's symptoms, whooping cough, shingles, syphilis,
cholera, and malaria. The labeling also stated that
colloidal silver could cause major growth stimulation of
human tissues and can regenerate
Silverado Inc., of Bountiful, Utah, was warned to stop
making false claims that its colloidal silver product was
effective as an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral,
and anti-fungal agent and that it could stimulate the
immune system.
Unic, of Carmichael, California, was ordered to stop
claiming that its colloidal silver product was effective
against many diseases and could heal burn-damaged tissue
without scarring.
In October 1996, the FDA proposed to ban the use of
colloidal silver or silver salts in over-the-counter
products [7]. A Final Rule banning such use was issued on
August 17, 1999 and became effective September 16th. The
rule applies to any nonprescription colloidal silver or
silver salt product claimed to be effective in preventing
or treating any disease [8]. Silver products can still be
sold as "dietary supplements" provided that no health
claims are made for them. During 2000, the FDA issued
warnings to more than 20 companies whose Web sites were
making illegal therapeutic claims for colloidal silver
products.

In May 2000, the Federal Court of Australia banned Vital
Earth Company Pty Limited and its director Darryl John
Jones from falsely representing that the colloidal silver
produced by their "Vital Silver 3000 Zapper," "Vital Silver
2000 Automatic" and "Vital Silver 2000":

Can kill all disease-causing bacteria, fungi and virus
within six minutes of contact
Has no harmful side effects; that colloidal silver could be
used as an antibiotic for all the acquired diseases of
active AIDS
Is effective with more than 650 different pathogenic
bacteria and virus types
Has been used successfully against diseases including AIDS,
cholera, diabetes, leprosy, leukemia, lupus, skin cancer,
syphilis and whooping cough.
The company was also ordered to pay AUS$9000 in costs and
to provide refunds [9].

In June 2001, the FTC obtained consent agreements with two
companies:

Robert C. Spencer and Lisa M. Spencer, doing business as
Aaron Company (Palm Bay, Florida). Colloidal silver has
been medically proven to kill over 650 disease-causing
organisms in the body and is effective in curing diseases
ranging from cancer and multiple sclerosis to HIV/AIDS
[10].
ForMor, Inc., doing business as ForMor International, and
its president, Stan Gross (Birmingham, Alabama) agreed not
to make unsubstantiated claims that colloidal silver is
effective in treating over 650 infectious diseases, has no
adverse side effects, and is effective against arthritis,
blood poisoning, cancer, cholera, diphtheria, diabetes,
dysentery, gonorrhea, herpes, influenza, leprosy, lupus,
malaria, meningitis, rheumatism, shingles, staph
infections, strep infections, syphilis, tuberculosis,
whooping cough, and yeast infections [10].
References
Product brochure. Changes International, 1997. Downloaded
in 1998.
Seasilver International Product Information, accessed
October 12, 1998.
Fung MC, Bowen DL. Silver products for medical indications:
risk-benefit assessment. Journal of Toxicology and Clinical
Toxicology 34:119-26, 1996.
Gulbranson SH and others. Argyria following the use of
dietary supplements containing colloidal silver protein.
Cutis 66:373-374, 2000.
Hori K and others. Believe it or not -- Silver still
poisons! Veterinary and Human Toxicology 44(5):291-292,
2002.
Blue Is the color of my candidate's skin. Associated Press,
Oct 2, 2002
Federal Register 61:53685-53688, 1996. (To access this
document, search the 1996 volume for "colloidal silver.")
FDA. Final rule: Over-the-counter drug products containing
colloidal silver ingredients or silver salts. Federal
Register 64:44653-44658, 1999. Download PDF version
Refunds for buyers of alternative therapy devices. News
release, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.,
May 5, 20
"Operation Cure.All" wages new battle in ongoing war
against Internet health fraud. FTC news release, June 14,
2001.

This article was revised in June 2003.