Tag Archives: ventilation

Silver Shakedown – Is it safe?

SOS_flame_happy_hollow_glass05

….Heat?      Eat?

–  Go Fishing….?

Is it permanent on my glass piece?

…Yes,    Yes   & YES!

– Sorry – The fishing is out!! :-o

This is an actively growing page to provide immediate info regarding exposure to silver such as that used in fuming techniques on Happy Hollow Glass.

I am currently researching all known risks of silver exposure to provide one place for this information. Not only is this valuable for piece of mind to my customers but also to fellow glass artist that risk inhalation of the actual silver fumes and other particulates.      (ALWAYS USE SUPERIOR VENTILATION!)

Green Mini Magnifying Stash Jar with Silver fume (5)

Quick Facts:

Is Silver Harmful to Humans?

    • Unlike other “essential” elements such as calcium, human bodies don’t need silver to function. Though silver was once used in medical applications, modern substitutes have largely superceded these uses, and there would be no ill health effects from going through life without ever contacting silver.This does not happen, however. Trace amounts of silver are in the bodies of all humans and animals. We normally take in between 70 and 88 micrograms of silver a day, half of that amount from our diet. Humans have evolved with efficient methods of dealing with that intake, however. Over 99 percent is readily excreted from the body.

 

  • Unlike other metals such as lead and mercury, silver is not toxic to humans and is not known to cause cancer, reproductive or neurological damage, or other chronic adverse effects. Nor has normal day-to-day contact with solid silver coins, spoons or bowls been found to affect human health. This is because solid silver is almost completely biologically inert, and even if ingested, would pass through the human body without being absorbed into tissues.

(Source: The Facts on Silver)

If you’d like to learn more in the mean time there is plenty of information available online.

Although glass can be fumed with gold and platinum as well, all Happy Hollow Glass is currently fumed with genuine .999 pure silver.