The Oligodynamic Effect
The oligodynamic effect is the term given to the roughly 120-year-old discovery that certain metals are toxic to bacteria and other microbes. Certain metals are much more reactive with bacteria than others. Silver, copper, and copper alloys such as brass work well in comparison to stainless steel and aluminum. The metal reacts with the thiol groups in the enzymes of the bacteria and binds them diminishing their ability to react with other chemical groups to produce odor. However, bacteria can become resistant to the oligodynamic effect over time. It’s not foolproof.
We’re beginning to see the use of the oligodynamic effect in more and more hunting products. Scent elimination products are often marketed as containing colloidal silver or something similar. It’s a fantastic and successful marketing ploy but with little substance. These products may eliminate odor but not because of colloidal silver. Why? The oligodynamic effect is a slow process – on the order of hours not seconds. To work, the lather from a bar of soap containing colloidal silver would have to sit on the skin for a long time. Rinsing washes most of the silver off the skin. What remains is usually trapped in paraffin – commonly used in soaps – which coats the skin preventing the silver from contacting the bacteria.
If you’re in the market for scent elimination products, be aware of the science and beware of the marketing. Save your money and pass on the silver. Triclosan, a chemical commonly found in liquid antibacterial soaps, works faster and can keep working long after your hands are dried.
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Category: Dr Shawley's Blog
Great post Charles. As always, very interesting.