Does sucking on a sterling silver rattle pose any danger to a baby?  I
do not know the metal components of sterling silver, and whether or
not they could be transferred to a young child through sucking.  What
about if the silver were tarnished?

Hello--

I have carefully researched your question and have your answer.

I found no evidence that sterling silver can be dangerous for
children. In fact, I found just the opposite. In the early 1900s
silver was actually used as a germ fighter, "At the recommended daily
dose of 50 micrograms colloid silver...that's about 1 ounce per person
in 6 years or about 50 million ounces per year for all Americans."

You may read about what early Americans saw as the health benefits of
silver online. The link is http://ftcobb.com/colloidalfacts.htm

Another site created by one family claims the same thing, "Early
customs encouraged teething infants to suck on silver spoons or cups
as a beneficial antiseptic health practice, since shown to be valid."
You may read what they had to say online. The link is
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/r/o/b/Edward-C-Robinson/PHOTO/0069photo.html?Welcome=1038776961

Further, I searched the Consumer Product Safety Commission web site to
find out if any sterling silver products have been recalled. There
have been about 15 products containing the word "sterling" that have
been recalled and that are listed in the database. Only one of these
products was a teething ring.

It is important to note that this product was not recalled because it
contains sterling silver. You may read the recall online. The link is
http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml02/02518.html

You may search the CPSC database yourself, if you'd like. The link is
http://www.cpsc.gov/search.html

To conduct this research, I found the best results using the following
terms:

"suck on silver"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22suck+on+silver%22

I hope this helps. If you need any clarification, please don't
hesitate to ask.

Thanks,

darrel-ga

---

Request for Answer Clarification by crybaby2-ga on 01 Dec 2002 17:44 PST

Most of your research about the healthy benefits of silver in fact
referred to "colloidal" silver, which I assume is quite different from
"sterling" silver.  Could you explain the difference?  Thank you for
your help!

---

Clarification of Answer by darrel-ga on 01 Dec 2002 18:17 PST

Hello--

Very good question!

Further research has produced more information for you. There are many
different types of silver. You're probably most familiar with sterling
silver as being part of jewelery, silverware, or in your case a
teething ring. Sterling silver is not one hundred percent silver. It's
only part silver. In it’s colloidal form, silver helps in the
manufacturing of certain alcohol.

The Colloidal Silver Database Website states, a colloid refers to
"tiny particles suspended in any medium, typically a liquid or gel.
Particles are usually sized between 1 - 1000 nanometers in diameter.
Colloidal silver technically does not refer to silver ions or
compounds in ionic form. However, the term "colloidal silver" has
truly lost its scientific meaning, and should be considered a generic
term for health products containing silver in a fluid medium. A
statement that a substance is "colloidal silver" is not nearly enough
information to gauge the type of product being offered."

This site goes on to write, "Other compounds, such as silver acetate,
silver nitrate, silver arsphenamine, and branded products such as
Argyrol, Neosilvol and Collargol, can be extremely toxic in the human
body due to the extremely high concentration of silver."
 
You may read a more detailed analysis of colloid silver online. The
link is http://www.silvermedicine.org/faq.html

I even found a site at which you can buy silver colloid as a dietary
supplement. The link is
http://www.naturalpathsilverwings.com/Colloidal%20Silver.htm

You may read about the different types of silver online. The link is
http://www.handwovenbands.com/gold.htm

Another interesting link is "The different forms of silver." The link
is http://www.wishgranted.com/Colloidal_Silver_Pages_Different_Forms.htm

You may even make your own colloidal silver. You can find out how at
http://www.wishgranted.com/Colloidal_Silver_Pages_Making_Colloidal_Silver.htm

You may find some other information by thumbing through some of the
other links on my search of: "types of silver" colloid
The link is ://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22types+of+silver%22+colloid

Please let me know what else I can clarify.

darrel-ga