DENTAL
AMALGAM MERCURY SOLUTIONS ............................. www.dams.cc
DAMS Intl. 1043 Grand Ave, #317, St Paul, Mn 55105
New Studies Find High Mercury and Adverse Effects from Dental Amalgam:
1. Mercury is the most toxic
substance that people commonly are exposed to. The U.S. EPA drinking water
standard is 2 parts per billion. Mercury
is in the top 3 of toxic exposures affecting large
numbers of people. (1,4)
2. Dental amalgam is an unstable mixture of 50% liquid mercury with
other toxic metals including copper, silver, tin. Since mercury is a gas at room temperature it
vaporizes continuously from the amalgam mixture resulting in high levels of mercury
in the oral air and saliva, as can be easily measured. Since amalgam is also a
mixture of metals in an electrolyte(saliva) this
results in galvanic currents that pump mercury and other toxic metals into the
gums and oral mucosa, from which it is carried throughout the body by the blood
and nerves. (24,27,32)
3. Dental Amalgam Fillings are the Largest Source of Mercury in
Most People who have amalgam fillings
(2-22,32) and Daily Mercury Exposure from Amalgam Commonly
Exceeds Government Health Standards for Inorganic Mercury(vapor). (4-10,19-21,32)
4. Medical tests show that those with several amalgam
fillings have on average 10 times more mercury in feces and saliva than those
without amalgam, and
after amalgam replacement levels of mercury in feces and saliva decline approx.
90%, while mercury level in urine declines 75% on average. (19,13-15)
5. Elemental and inorganic
mercury are methylated in the body to methyl mercury by bacteria, yeasts, etc.
so that amalgam fillings are the largest source of methyl mercury in many
people who have amalgams (17,18,13-15)
6. Mercury from amalgam is passed
on to fetuses and infants through mother’s blood and milk, and Mother’s dental amalgam fillings are the largest source of mercury in most
fetuses and infants prior to mercury containing vaccinations (12,26,21,32). One flu
vaccination (or other vaccination that contains 25 micrograms of mercury
thimerosal) exceeds the Canadian health standard for daily mercury exposure to
an infant by a factor of 250 and for a child by a factor of 100(20).
7. Dental amalgam is the largest
source of mercury in most children who have amalgam fillings other than from
vaccines, and mercury level is directly proportional to the number of mercury fillings(11,21,32). Developmental
effects on infants occur at low levels of mercury exposure and
many thousands are known to be
affected. (25,26,12)
8. Mercury vapor
from amalgam is the most dangerous form of mercury, most rapidly crossing blood-brain barrier and
mother’s placenta, and causing adverse
developmental effects at lower levels than other forms. (28,26,21,29)
9. In addition to
the high mercury volatility and galvanic currents between mixed metals
in the mouth, electromagnetic fields (EMF) from appliances such as
computer monitors cause currents in the metals which carry mercury into the
body. (24,21)
10. Mercury in those with amalgam fillings or dental
workers accumulates to much higher levels in the major body organs like the
brain, heart, liver, and kidneys that receive a lot of blood than in those
without amalgam. Mercury
blocks or damages metabolic or hormonal processes in all organs at very low
levels of exposure. (16,21,22,32)
11. Chronic adverse
health effects from amalgam are common in adults. Mercury is extremely
cytotoxic, neurotoxic, immunotoxic, endocrine disrupting, inflammatory, and a
reproductive toxin. Mercury commonly causes chronic neurological, immune and
autoimmune, cardiovascular, hormonal, oral, and reproductive conditions.
(1,27,23,22,21,32)
12. Those who replace amalgam fillings and reduce
body mercury levels commonly recover or see significant improvement, as documented
by peer-reviewed studies and thousands of clinical cases histories. (23,31,21,32)
13. Dental Amalgam is the largest source of mercury in sewers and sewer sludge, and thus a major source in water bodies, fish, crops, and the atmosphere- due to sludge outgasing and high emissions from crematoria (30).
Documentation:
Special
interests like the ADA which was founded to support use of dental amalgam have
been successfully misleading the
public regarding the true nature of dental amalgam for years by use of
misinformation, money, and politics to suppress the truth. But the science is clear that dental amalgam
is a mixture of approximately 50 % liquid mercury with various metals including
copper, silver, tin to form an unstable alloy that results in
high levels of toxic
metal exposure including mercury over time.
Since mercury is a gas at room temperature the mercury vaporizes
continuously from the amalgam, resulting in high levels of mercury in the oral
air and saliva, as is easily measured.
Additionally since amalgam is a mixture of metals in an electrolyte(saliva) this produces galvanic currents (battery effect) that pumps mercury and
other toxic metals into the gums and oral mucosa, from which it is taken by the
blood and nerves throughout the body(24,21).
Approximately 80% of the mercury in the oral air is absorbed by the
blood in the lungs(7,24) and is distributed throughout
the body, along with the other mercury released by amalgam, rapidly passing out
of the blood, crossing cell membranes and accumulating in the major organs that
receive large amounts of blood- the brain, heart, liver, kidneys, and hormone
glands. Over time this, along with
exposures to other synergistic
toxics, commonly results in chronic degenerative health conditions
affecting all major body organs, as has been well documented in the medical literature(21,22).
A large National Institute of Dental
Research study has confirmed other previous study results that found that the
current type of amalgam dental fillings being used in the U.S. leak significant
amounts of extremely toxic mercury into the body and are the number one source
of mercury in people (5,2-21). The study measured mercury levels in the
blood and urine of over 1000 military personnel and found a high significant
correlation to the number of amalgam filling surfaces in the mouth. Like several other recent studies, the study
found that amalgam fillings are not stable because of mercury’s high volatility
and galvanic action between the different metals in the mouth. For this large military population that had a
range of from 0 to 66 amalgam filling surfaces, each 10 surfaces added
approximately 1 microgram of mercury per liter of urine excreted, meaning total
mercury excreted in urine averaged about 3.1 micrograms per day, with soldiers
levels with over 49 amalgam surfaces averaging over 8.7 micrograms in urine. The average level for those with fillings was
4.5 times that of the controls without amalgam, and those with over 49 surfaces
averaged over 8 times controls without amalgam. Together with the considerably
larger amount of mercury excreted daily through the digestive tract and sweat,
the daily mercury excretion would amount to over 30 micrograms per day on
average and much more for some individuals, as supported by other studies and
medical lab tests(6-15,19,30). Over 90
% of the mercury in the urine was inorganic mercury, the kind that comes from
fillings, but the majority of mercury in blood was methyl mercury. Inorganic mercury has been found to be
methylated in the mouth and intestines to methyl mercury by bacteria, yeasts,
etc. so that dental fillings are the largest source of methyl mercury in most dental
staff or people with amalgam fillings(18,17,7,13-15,21,29).
For this population, it was determined
that the exposure from amalgam fillings was the primary source of mercury
exposure, and on average the exposure exceeded the levels that would be
consistent with U.S. Government Standards(MRL) for daily mercury exposure(20). The study’s findings were consistent with
the findings of many other recent such studies(21,24), including a similar
study testing 20,000 people at a University Health Clinic in Germany(6), as
well as the findings of the World Health Organization Scientific Panel on inorganic
mercury exposure and U.S. ATSDR(4).
Because of the extreme
toxicity of mercury, the U.S. EPA drinking water standard for mercury is 2
parts per billion, which allows for not over 4 micrograms per day mercury
exposure for an average adult. The
U.S.EPA mercury health guideline for elemental mercury exposure(vapor)
is 0.3 micrograms per cubic meter of air (0.3 ug/M3). For the average adult breathing 20 M3 of air
per day, this amounts to an exposure of approximately 6 micrograms per
day. The U.S. Department of Health,
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ASTDR) standard (MRL) ‑for
acute inhalation exposure to mercury vapor is 0.2 micrograms Hg/M3, which
translates to approx. 4 ug/day for the average adult(20).
The EPA health guideline for methyl mercury is 0.1 ug/kg body weight per day or
7 ug for the average adult(4,20), and the MRL for
methyl mercury is 0.3 ug/kg body weight/day(4).
The corresponding tolerable daily exposure
developed in a report for the Canadian Health Agency, Health Canada, is .014
ug/kg body weight or 1 ug/day for average adult(2). The permissible level for a child would be
less. But the levels of the average
daily exposures found in this study and other studies(6-10,19)
were above all of these health guidelines for mercury exposure.
The
reference average level of mercury in feces(dry weight) for those tested at Doctors Data Lab with amalgam
fillings is .26 mg/kg, compared to the reference average level for those
without amalgam fillings of .02 mg/kg(19). (13 times that
of the population w/o amalgam). A
Swedish lab that does fecal tests for mercury had similar results(19). Tests on people who have had amalgam replaced
likewise confirm these results(13-15). Government and Scientific panels as
well as large numbers of medical studies have confirmed dental mercury amalgam
is the number one source of mercury in most people and affects millions(2-22,30)
In a
large study of a group with amalgams, a group without amalgams, and a group
that had undergone amalgam replacement-
using saliva mercury measurements, it was concluded that amalgam is the
main source of organic mercury in most people. Those with amalgams on average
had more than 4 times as much organic mercury as
either group without amalgam. Those with amalgam had over 10 times the total
mercury as those without(18). And mercury from fish was controlled for in
the study and not a factor in these results.
Mercury vapor and inorganic mercury are well documented to be methylated
to methyl mercury in the mouth and intestines by bacteria, yeast, and other
methyl donors. These results are
similarly supported by other studies(7,13-15,17,29).
The main
reasons for the high exposure levels from mercury are the high volatility of mercury(which is vaporizing constantly at room temperature)
and the galvanic currents in the mouth generated by mixed metals in an
electrolyte(saliva)(24). Mercury has a
relatively high vapor pressure and vaporizes at room temperature. The rate of mercury volatilization is
directly related to temperature so in the body it is even more volatile. The vapor saturation concentration in air of
20 milligrams of mercury per cubic meter of air is much higher than the safety
limit. The ATSDR safety standard(MRL) for mercury is 0.2 micrograms of mercury per
cubic meter of air. Thus mercury readily vaporizes to above the MRL level. Studies have found that on average for each
additional amalgam filling, the level of mercury in saliva increases by 1.5
micrograms per Liter(6,21), while for each additional
10 amalgam surfaces the amount of mercury in urine increases by 1 microgram per
liter(5.21). Saliva and feces have the highest
levels of mercury that are measurable by tests. Many studies have overlooked the fact that
metal crowns over amalgam cause exposure levels as much as amalgam fillings,
and also taking them into account would improve precision of regression equations
for the level of mercury(24).
Other studies in addition to the studies that
the Government Health Standards were based on have found adverse health effects
at very low levels of exposure(4,21) and developmental
effects on infants and children at very low levels of exposure(25,26,12), along
with finding that mercury vapor from a mother’s fillings is readily transferred
through the mother’s blood across the placenta to a fetus and also through
mother’s milk(26,21).
These findings increase the urgency to
advise the public of the clear danger in the use of mercury in fillings and to
reconsider the policy of using mercury in dental fillings. Based on such studies, several other
countries, such as Sweden, Australia, Norway, Japan, and Canada, have already
adopted restrictions or warnings on the use of mercury in fillings, such as for
children, pregnant women, women of child bearing age, people with damaged
kidneys or immune systems, and in the mouth adjacent to other metals(21). Amalgam manufacturers have also warned
against some of the uses currently made of amalgam in dentistry in the U.S.(21)
Studies are also available
that confirm adverse health effects from amalgam fillings (23,27,22,21,32) and
clinically document that many thousands of people have recovered or had
significant improvement in over 40 chronic conditions including very serious
autoimmune and neurological conditions after replacement of amalgam fillings(23,31,22,21,32). Fact sheets are available from the DAMS
website with cites to over 4,000 medical study references covering the
statements and issues in this press release.
DAMS is currently working with thousands of
people in the U.S. dealing with serious health effects caused by exposure to
mercury from amalgam and urges everyone to find out more about this major
problem and to get involved in resolving these health safety issues. DAMS can provide information and help to
anyone who is interested or who thinks they might have health problems related
to their amalgam fillings.
References:
1. ATSDR/EPA Priority List for 2005: Top 20
Hazardous Substances, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, www.atsdr.cdc.gov/clist.html
2. Mark Richardson, Environmental Health Directorate, Health Canada, Assessment of Mercury Exposure and Risks from Dental
Amalgam, 1995, Final Report.
3. World Health Organization(WHO),1991,
Environmental Health criteria 118,
Inorganic Mercury, WHO, Geneva; http://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc118.htm
4. (a)
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Public Health Service,
"Toxicological Profile for Mercury” March, 1999; page 7 & (b)Jan
2003 Media Advisory, New MRLs for toxic
substances, MRL:elemental mercury vapor/inhalation/chronic & MRL: methyl
mercury/ oral/acute; & www.atsdr.cdc.gov/mrls.html
5. Kingman A, Albertini T, Brown LJ, Mercury
concentrations in urine and whole blood associated with amalgam exposure in a
US military population., J Dent Res 1998 Mar;77(3):461-71 (population of over 1000 Air Force
personnel; found each 10 amalgam surfaces increased mercury in urine by approx. 1 microgram per
liter)
6. Dr. P.Kraub & M.Deyhle, Universitat Tubingen- Institut fur
Organische Chemie, “Field Study on
the Mercury Content of Saliva”, 1997 ; (tests at
Tuebingen Univ. Health Clinic of over 20,000 people, amount of mercury in
saliva increased on average approx. 1.5 micrograms per day per amalgam filling; 10% had
mercury level greater than 100 micrograms; higher mercury levels were correlated with
more chronic health conditions) www.xs4all.nl/~stgvisie/AMALGAM/EN/SCIENCE/tubingen.html
7. A. Engqvist et al,
"Speciation of mercury excreted in feces from individuals with amalgam fillings", Arch Environ Health,
1998, 53(3):205‑13; & Dept. of Toxicology & Chemistry, Stockholm Univ., National
Institute for Working Life,
1998.(www.niwl.se/ah/1998‑02.html)
8. I.Skare, "Mass Balance
and Systemic Uptake of Mercury Released from Dental Fillings", Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 80(1‑4):59‑67,
1995; & I.Skare , A. Engqvist
, Human exposure to mercury and
silver released from dental amalgam restorations. Arch Environ Health. 1994 Sep-Oct;49(5):384-94.
9. B.Arnold, Eigenschaften und
Einsatzgebiete des Chelatbildners:DMPS", Z.Umweltmedizin, 1997,5(1):38‑; & Diagnostik un
Monitorung von
Schwermetallbelastungen,I,II,ZWR, 1996,105(10):586‑569
& (11):665‑; & B.Engin-Deniz et
al,”Die queckssilberkonzentration im spichel zehnjariger kinder in korrelation
zur anzahl und Grobe iher amalgamfullungen”, Zeitschrift fur
Stomatologie,1992, 89:471-179
10. L.Barregard et al,
"People with high mercury uptake from their own dental amalgam fillings", Occup Envir Med, 1995,
52:124‑128.
11. Childhood urine mercury excretion: dental amalgam and fish
consumption as exposure factors. M. Levy et al, Arch Environ Health. 1994 Sep-Oct;49(5):384-94: &
Mercury concentrations in the urine of
children with and without amalgam fillings,
A. Schulte et al, Schweiz Monatsschr
Zahnmed. 1994;104(11):1336-40.
12. G.Drasch et al,
“Mercury Burden of Human Fetal and Infant Tissues”, Eur J Pediatr 153:607- 610,1994
13. L.Bjorkman et al, "Mercury in saliva and
feces after removal of amalgam fillings", Toxicol Appl Pharmacol
1997, 144(1): 156‑162.
14. Berglund A, Molin M,
"Mercury levels in plasma and urine after removal of all amalgam restorations: the effect of using
rubber dams", Dent Mater 1997 Sep;13(5):297-304;& M.Molin et
al, "kinetics of mercury in blood and urine after mercury
removal" J Dent Research, 1995, 74:420‑
15. J.Begerow et al, "Long Term Mercury Excretion in Urine after
Removal of Amalgam
Fillings", Int Arch Occup
Health , 1994, 66: 209‑212.
16. J.A.Weiner et al,"The relationship
between mercury concentration in human organs and predictor variables",138(1‑3):101‑115,1993; &
(b) M.Nylander et al,
"Mercury concentrations in the human brain and kidneys and exposure from amalgam
fillings", Swed Dent J 1987; 11:179-187,
&(c) D.W.Eggleston et al, Correlation of dental amalgam with mercury in
brain tissue. J Prosthet Dent, 1987,58(6),704-7;
http://home.swipnet.se/misac/research6.html;
& (d) Mercury, cadmium, and lead in
kidney cortex of the general Swedish population: a study of biopsies from
living kidney donors. Barregard L, Svalander C, et al. Environ Health Perspect. 1999 Nov;107(11):867-71.
17. Lindberg A,
Bjornberg KA, Vahter M, Berglund M, Exposure to methylmercury in non-fish- eating people in Sweden. Environ
Res. 2004 Sep;96(1):28-33.
18.(a)Leistevuo J et
al, Dental amalgam fillings and the
amount of organic mercury in human saliva.
Caries Res 2001 May-Jun;35(3):163-6; &(b) Sellars WA, Sellars R. Univ. Of Texas Southwestern Medical School “Methyl mercury
from dental amalgams in the human mouth”, Journal of Nutritional &
Environmental Medicine 1996 &(c) Heintze et al,“Methylation
of Mercury from dental amalgam and
mercuric chloride by oral Streptococci”.,Scan.
J. Dent. Res. 1983, 91:150-152; & L.I.Liang et al,
"Mercury reactions in the human mouth with dental amalgams" Water,
Air, and Soil pollution, 80:103-107 & S Yannai, I
Berdicevsky, and L Duek,
Transformations of inorganic mercury by Candida albicans
and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Appl Environ Microbiol.
1991 January; 57 (1): 245––247; & Choi SC, Bartha R.. Cobalamin-mediated mercury methylation by Desulfovibrio desulfuricans LS.
Appl
Environ Microbiol. 1993 Jan;59(1):290-5; & Wang
J, Liu Z; [.In vitro Study of Strepcoccus Mutans in the Plaque on the Surface of Amalgam Fillings on
the Convertion of Inorganic Mercury to Organic
Mercury][Article in Chinese], Shanghai Kou Qiang Yi Xue. 2000 Jun;9(2):70-2.
19. Doctors Data Inc.; Fecal
Elements Test; P.O.Box 111, West Chicago, Illinois, 60186-0111; http://www.doctorsdata.com/repository.asp?id=43
; & Biospectron
Lab, LMI, Lennart Mansson
International AB, lmi.analyslab@swipnet.se; http://home.swipnet.se/misac/research11.html#biospectrons
20. Common Exposure Levels
from Amalgam Fillings
and Government Health
Standards Commonly Exceeded, www.flcv.com/amalno1.html
21. Health Effects of
amalgam fillings and results of replacement of amalgam filings. Over 4000 medical study references(most in Medline) documenting
common high mercury exposures from amalgam, that vapor from amalgam is the most
dangerous form of mercury to the fetus, and the mechanisms by which mercury
causes over 40 chronic health conditions www.flcv.com/amalg6
22. Neurological &
Autoimmune conditions: CFS, FM, MS, Parkinson’s, ALS, Alzheimer’s, Lupus,
Chron’s, Scleroderma: the connection to mercury immune
reactivity and amalgam fillings; www.flcv.com/indexa.html (Over 4,000 peer-reviewed references)
23. Documentation of
recovery from 60,000 clinical cases of serious adverse health effects after
replacement of amalgam fillings in over 30 chronic health conditions, B. Windham(Ed.) www.flcv.com/hgremove.html (Over 50 peer-reviewed studies)
24. The battery in your mouth: oral galvanic currents and metals in the
mouth, and interactions with EMF , www.flcv.com/galv.html
25. Effect of Mercury and Other Toxic Metal Exposure on Cognitive and
Behavioral Problems of Children- including ADD, dyslexia, juvenile delinquency,
and crime, www.flcv.com/damspr4.html &
www.flcv.com/tmlbn.html
26. Transfer of
Mercury from Mother’s
Amalgams and Breast
Milk to the
Fetus and Developmental
Effects of Mercury on
Infants, www.flcv.com/fetaln.html
27. Adverse Oral Health
Problems related to Amalgam Fillings, B.Windham(Ed.) www.flcv.com/periodon.html (Over 100 peer-reviewed studies)
28. DAMS, Comparison of health
and developmental effect of mercury vapor to methyl mercury; B. Windham(Ed.) www.flcv.com/damspr13.html
29. DAMS, Blood Test is not a reliable indicator
of mercury body burden or toxicity,
30. DAMS, Dental amalgam is the largest source of mercury in sewers and
sewer sludge and has major environmental effects that affect most people.
31. DAMS, Sample of 1500 who had amalgam replacement and percentages
that recovered from various chronic conditions, http://www.flcv.com/hgrecovp.html
·
Most referenced studies can be found in NIH
National Library of Medicine Medline, www.nlm.nih.gov/
32. Heavy Metals and Chronic Diseases , Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, M.D., PhD, www.neuraltherapy.com/a_metals_disease.asp; & Mercury Toxicity and Systemic Elimination Agents, D. Klinghardt & J Mercola(DO), J of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, 2001, 11:53-62; & Amalgam Detox, Klinghardt Academy of Neurobiology, 2008
technical
contact person: Bernie
Windham berniew1@embarqmail.com 850-878-9024
President and Research Director DAMS Intl
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