文摘
Commenting on 鈥?20 Years of Nanosilver History: Implications for Policy Makers鈥?(Environ. Sci. Technol.2011, 45, 1177鈭?183). The title of the article seduces readers to the impression that we can look back at more than a century of safe use of nanosilver. In this context, colloidal silver and nanosilver have been sometimes used as synonyms. Historically, the term 鈥渃olloidal silver鈥?refers to dispersed silver particles encompassing a size range of 10鈥?000 nm. Following scientific definitions, 鈥渃olloid鈥?stands for freely dispersed particles in a fluid (heterogenic) phase irrespective of its size distribution, while the term 鈥渘anosilver鈥?is used for categorization by size. Of course, just the labeling as such neither necessarily implies new hazard properties nor any specific risks; however, uncertainties and data gaps at many levels call for careful consideration and usually should take effect as alert signal for regulatory toxicologists all over the world. Within the frame of this short commentary, we would like to focus on some unclarified issues related to consumer products.