Argyria, silver deposition, occurs in all organs. Common deposition sites for people who have no history of therapeutic use are the liver, skin, pancreas, adrenals, glomeruli of the kidney, brain, bone marrow, walls of the blood vessels, thyroid, mesenteric glands, choroid plexus, spleen and testes. Generalized argyria is indicated by slate-gray skin and hair colouring, silver finger nails, a blue halo around the cornea and in the conjunctiva of the eye, disturbance of dark adaptation and turbidity of the anterior lens capsule. Argyria may also affect the respiratory system. The tissue content and distribution pattern of silver deposition is a function of the intake route, quantity and chemical form. The average silver content of the human body in the USA is estimated at 50 µg/kg wet-weight (MRI 1975).
Silver has a permanent cosmetic effect when the body burden exceeds about 1 g. Highest levels usually occur in the liver and spleen with lesser amounts in the muscles, skin and brain. Normal values, as mg/kg dry-weight, include 0.4 in the kidney, 0.7 in the liver and 2.7 in the spleen. Normal wet-weight values, as µg/kg, include 45 in the kidney, 32 in the liver and 60 in the lungs. In people with argyria, skin levels reach 50 to 71 mg/kg dry-weight in contrast to normal levels of 20 to 50 µg/kg. One case of 72 mg/kg wet-weight was reported (Seiler et al. 1988, Friberg et al. 1986).
Some reported levels of silver in human tissues from the UK include: 2 µg/kg in 8 kidney medulla, 6 µg/kg in 11 livers, 1 µg/kg in 6 lymph nodes, 2 µg/kg in 6 muscle samples, 2 µg/kg in 5 testes, 2 µg/kg in 6 ovaries, 1.1 µg/kg in 22 ribs from people living in areas with hard water, 4 µg/kg in 10 whole brains, 3 µg/kg in 2 brain frontal lobes, 4 µg/kg in 2 basal ganglia, 2 µg/kg in 11 lungs, 2 µg/kg in 8 kidneys and 1 µg/kg in 8 kidney cortex (USEPA 1980a).