Antibiotics have become alarmingly widespread and are too often used when they are not really needed. There is a growing number of publications that provide new evidence about drug-resistant superbugs. At Aquaphor, we are constantly striving to combine both effective anti-bacterial protection and health friendly technologies, being strongly against the unnecessary use of powerful bactericides. That is why we employ silver in many of our filters.

Despite being a heavy metal, according to the periodic table, silver is the leader among the safest bactericides. Overexposure to silver may result in argyria, the condition when skin turns bluish or grey-blue color with no other significant side effects. However, to reach this effect one should intake silver compounds literally from spoons, which is not the healthiest option.

Silver may be found in various forms. The most inactive of them is a metal state. A silver spoon may indeed cause a slight bactericidal effect in a cup of water if exposed during a long period of time. Literally, each bacteria should come in contact with the silver surface.

The most active form of silver is its ionic form. The silver ion (Ag+) shows a bactericide effect starting from 10 mg/L. It is not stable and is easily decomposed when exposed to light and a micro presence of chlorides. It also precipitates when in contact with many other metals and materials. To stabilize silver in its ionic form we can choose two ways: produce a silver colloid or force an ion-exchange.

Silver nanocrystals have a bactericidal effect yet are chemically-stable. By adding stabilizers, for example, surfactants, we don’t let them fall out. This is exactly how we get colloid silver, a popular biologically active supplement.