银质沈着症的症状为皮肤呈现蓝灰色（一种只影响外观的皮肤变色症状），这是因为人体内的银含量过高。在学者Gaul和Staud的43个银质沈着症案例中，银质沈着症有（63%）是由医药上使用的银胶（Collargol或Argyrol）所引起，其他则是由碘化银或氯化银所引起的。银的毒性虽然很低，但很高的浓度下会得到银质沈着症以外的人体毒性（老鼠的半致死口服剂量为1600mg/kg/d）。因为银本身的特性会阻止微生物的繁殖作用，故能杀菌，而本身的活性易产生可变色的化学变化，故能使摄入银的生物体产生变色的现象。

Argyria or argyrosis (from Ancient Greek: ἄργυρος argyros silver) is a condition caused by inappropriate exposure to chemical compounds of the element silver, or to silver dust. The most dramatic symptom of argyria is that the skin turns blue or bluish-grey. It may take the form of generalized argyria or local argyria. Generalized argyria affects large areas over much of the visible surface of the body. Local argyria shows in limited regions of the body, such as patches of skin, parts of the mucous membrane or the conjunctiva.