Microorganisms pose a significant threat to human health. Did
you know that 11 m people die from sepsis each year, mostly
caused by bacteria?
Until now, primarily antimicrobial technologies based on the
release of silver ions have been used in textiles. However, silver
ions must be constantly released in order to effectively kill
germs. Various studies suggest that this poses a risk to humans
and the environment.
As part of the ongoing evaluation of all antimicrobial technologies
by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), more than
50% of silver ion-based technologies have already been deemed
unapprovable and not even one of them has been approved.
Therefore, it is expected that with the completion of this evaluation
(ECHA Review Programme), the vast majority of today’s available
silver ion technologies will be banned.
There is therefore an urgent need for alternatives to these silver
ion technologies.
