Mitra Karani, of the toxicology department of the Medical Science University of Tehran, Iran, said caution should be taken in using products containing nanosilver that come in contact with the skin. Karani said, “The emergence of nanotechnology and its wide applications in different industries has drawn abundant attentions to its toxicology so that a new branch entitled nanotoxicology is introduced. Given the vast applications of nanosilver as an antibacterial substance and the lack of information on its toxicological aspects, it is necessary to first focus on the skin toxicity of this substance and second on the potential of its toxicity to the organs caused by skin contacts.” Scientists at the Medical Science University have undertaken a study to address the question of dermal and systematic side effects of long-term use of products containing silver nanoparticles. “Based on the results, we can partly say that caution should be taken in using products containing nanosilver which are in contact with skin. However, a definite answer requires more researches on more dilutions and other aspects of nanosilver toxicity like mutagenicity, cargenocity, teratogenicity, nervous toxicity, etc,” she said.
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