How Silver Nanoparticles Are Interfering With Wastewater Treatment

Research at Oregon State University has shed new light on how an increasingly common consumer product component – silver nanoparticles – can potentially interfere with the treatment of wastewater. The findings suggest conventional toxicity testing methods for silver concentrations at treatment plants may produce results that yield a false sense of security. If silver, which has broad-spectrum antibacterial properties, thwarts the work of the plants’ beneficial bacteria, then too many nutrients end up in waterways, leading to eutrophication. “Silver nanoparticles are being incorporated into a range of products including wound dressings, clothing, water filters, toothpaste and even children’s toys,”