Nanosilver: What action needs to be taken to protect Canadians from this emerging contaminant?

The document examines the risks associated with nanosilver, a nanomaterial used in over 440 consumer products, and highlights the lack of specific regulations in Canada. It details experimental evidence of nanosilver's toxicity to aquatic life and proposes a regulatory framework including risk assessments, standardized testing, and mandatory labelling.

• Nanosilver is an emerging nanomaterial with antimicrobial properties used in more than 440 consumer products, including clothing, cosmetics, cleaning products, electronics, packaging, and toys. Its widespread use increases the risk of release into aquatic environments through domestic sewage and wastewater treatment plants.
• Experimental research conducted at the IISD Experimental Lakes Area demonstrated several negative impacts of nanosilver on fish, including oxidative stress in liver and gill tissues, bioaccumulation through diet and respiration, reduced metabolic rates and prey consumption in yellow perch, population declines, and reduced growth in northern pike.
• Nanosilver may pose different risks than ionic silver because it can attach to cells and affect cellular function. Evidence suggests it may cause cell damage, oxidative stress, and alterations to the human immune system.
• Canada currently lacks policies to regulate nanosilver in consumer products or its environmental discharge. While the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 regulates industrial chemicals, nanomaterials were not treated as new to the market because the Domestic Substances List (DSL) identifiers were based on chemical composition rather than particle size.
• Canada has a water quality guideline for ionic silver (0.25 μg/L) for aquatic life protection, but no such guideline exists for nanosilver due to measurement uncertainties and a lack of technology to distinguish silver released from nanoparticles versus ionic sources.
• The document recommends that Canada adopt a precautionary approach, which includes prioritizing a full risk assessment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, standardizing detection methodologies for fresh water, introducing mandatory product labelling, and relaunching the NanoPortal to educate the public.

APA

Puzyreva, M., Hayhurst, L., & Bath, S. (2020). Nanosilver: What action needs to be taken to protect Canadians from this emerging contaminant? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-10/nanosilver-canada-emerging-contaminant.pdf

Chicago

Puzyreva, Marina, Lauren Hayhurst, and Sumeep Bath. Nanosilver: What action needs to be taken to protect Canadians from this emerging contaminant? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-10/nanosilver-canada-emerging-contaminant.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Puzyreva |first1=Marina |last2=Hayhurst |first2=Lauren |last3=Bath |first3=Sumeep |title=Nanosilver: What action needs to be taken to protect Canadians from this emerging contaminant? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=October 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-10/nanosilver-canada-emerging-contaminant.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{puzyreva2020nanosilver, author = {Puzyreva, Marina and Hayhurst, Lauren and Bath, Sumeep}, title = {{Nanosilver: What action needs to be taken to protect Canadians from this emerging contaminant?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-10/nanosilver-canada-emerging-contaminant.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }