The Oligodynamic Effect
Most of the population regularly contact countless surfaces throughout their days, whether it
be pole in the metro, door at their offices or even the faucet in public restroom, those skins are perfect
for germs to propagate and further migrate through human body. Imagine hundreds of people using
a faucet to wash their dirty hands each day, and billions of pathogens carried by their hands dispatch
themselves onto the tap, then quickly reproduce, whereas the condition is boosting, covering the
surface entirely. With that sort of inevitable behaviour, not only they are at risk encountering various
types of infectious microbes, which spread all over the area, but also, they might become
overexposed to the unhealthy antimicrobial chemical, Triclosan, which has adverse effect on certain
people. There, however, is an alternative approach to passively sanitising the surfaces. Thanks to
expansion of knowledge in nanotechnology branch, it is discovered that certain metals, such as brass
and silver, have the property to refrain bacteria from spreading.
As evident from the utilisation of copper to sanitise drinking water and disinfect wounds, there
is awareness of the effect, which has apparently been identified since the ancient time by several
civilisations. In modern time, it is observed by the Swiss botanist, Karl Wilhelm von Nägeli, however
there is only an inconclusive explanation. Despite the doubt of how it works, termed “ Oligodynamic
Effect”, it could terminates certain types of microorganism by its ability to bind with certain
biomolecules, and manipulate their usual functions, for example ceasing the cell division process,
obstructing the nutrients transportation of enzymes and penetrating the cellular shell components.
There is a requirement that the type of materials, where this effect occurs on, is necessarily metal,
especially noble metal. With gold, silver, copper and zinc commonly named as the elements with the
biocidal feature, there are numeroous applications, which employ the advantage of this effect,
ranging from germinocide contruction accessories and kitchenware to dental inlay and medical
treatment. It is beneficial and practical that even solid surfaces have a bactericidal effect, for
example, brass drinking vessel, which releases copper ion to sterilise the liquid inside making the
liquid less contaminated by the pathogens.
In spite of the miraculously effective biocidal characteristic of these noble metal, there is a
point of concern, which is that a toxicity of the metals can be contaminated and harms users’ health
overtime. Even though there is no irrefutable report of the health condition associated with the use of
these metal, it is yet to be further examined for the sign of possible danger and careful for people not
to overuse these oliogodynamic appliances.
Reference:
1. http://yupthatexists.com/the-oligodynamic-effect/
2. https://www.tested.com/science/life/453961-oligodynamic-effect-how-some-metals-kill-bacteria/
3. Oligodynamic Effect of Silver Nanoparticles: a Review by Parteek Prasher & Manjeet Singh & Harish Mudila