http://www.lichtenberg.dk/mercury_vapour_in_the_oral_cavit.htm

http://www.dentalmaterial.gov.se/Mercury.pdf

==

Amalgam dental fillings are a health hazard
NEW YORK, NY. Dr. Gary Null, PhD and Dr. Martin Feldman, MD have just released
a major report concerning the health hazards of dental amalgam (silver)
fillings. They point to incontrovertible evidence that mercury continually
leaches from amalgam fillings at a rate of about 10-50 times the safe limit
(0.28 microgram/day) set by the US Public Health Service. Mercury has been
linked to birth defects, multiple sclerosis, fatigue, Alzheimer's disease,
depression, anxiety, reduced immune function, antibiotic resistance, and
impaired kidney function. Researchers have found that mercury is a potent
killer of white blood cells and that proper removal of amalgam fillings will
restore white blood cell counts to healthy levels. There is also evidence that
the number of T-cells (an important part of immune defenses) decreases
substantially when amalgam fillings are placed in the mouth, but increases
again once the fillings are removed.
The American Dental Association (ADA) maintains that amalgam fillings are safe
– a position made completely untenable by the fact that the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) has declared amalgam to be a hazardous material. It is
interesting that the ADA, when confronted by a lawsuit regarding the use of
amalgam fillings, made the following statement in its defense, "The ADA owes no
legal duty of care to protect the public from allegedly dangerous products used
by dentists."
Several studies have found that chewing markedly increases the amount of
mercury released from amalgam fillings into the mouth and that these mercury
vapours easily find their way into the pituitary gland and the brain. Autopsies
performed at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden revealed that people with
amalgam fillings had three times more mercury in the brain and nine times more
in the kidneys than did people with no amalgam fillings.
Common bacteria found in the mouth and intestines can convert mercury to
methylmercury, a compound that is 100 times more toxic than is elemental
mercury. Methylmercury passes both the blood-brain and placental barriers and
following a large exposure can remain in the brain for 10 years or more.
Considering that dentists still place about one million amalgam fillings in the
mouths of American citizens every day it is clear that disorders caused by
amalgam toxicity is a horrendous problem. Not everyone is sensitive to mercury,
but various studies estimate the percentage that are to be somewhere between 10
and 44 per cent. Fortunately, a few governments are beginning to wake up to the
dangers and are passing laws restricting or outright banning the use of amalgam
fillings. The German, Norwegian, Swedish, Canadian and British governments have
advised dentists not to install or remove amalgam fillings in pregnant women.
Since November 2000 the following sign has been posted in all dental offices in
California, "WARNING – Amalgam fillings contain a chemical element known to
the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm". The
California Dental Association apparently lobbied successfully to ensure that
the word mercury did not appear in the warning.
The Australian Society of Oral Medicine and Toxicology has concluded that
mercury in amalgam fillings is continuously released from the fillings and
accumulates in tissues throughout the body where it interferes with many
physiological functions.
Null, Gary and Feldman, Martin. Mercury dental amalgams: the controversy
continues. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Vol. 17, No. 2, 2nd Quarter
2002, pp. 85-110 [180 references]
Editor's comment: There is no question in my mind that amalgam fillings pose a
serious health risk to everyone whether or not they actually exhibit symptoms
of mercury toxicity at this time. New amalgam fillings should be avoided and
old ones replaced with composite fillings

Trigeminal neuralgia linked to amalgam fillings
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA. Dr. William Cheshire, a physician at the Mayo Clinic,
reports on a case where a woman's trigeminal neuralgia (tic douloureux) was
traced to a galvanic reaction between an amalgam filling and an adjacent
gold-alloy crown. Consumption of tomatoes and other acidic foods produced
intense jolts described as being like those of an "electrical battery". The
jolts in turn resulted in excruciating pain in the trigeminal nerve. Replacing
the amalgam filling with a composite resolved the problem. Dr. Cheshire points
out that dissimilar metals in contact with saliva can form a galvanic cell
which can generate electrical currents with several hundred millivolts of
potential. He points out that many patients with trigeminal neuralgia describe
their pain in terms of "electrical" jolts and concludes that his patient's
neuralgia may well have been triggered by the galvanic reaction between the
amalgam filling and the gold crown.
Cheshire, William P., Jr. The shocking tooth about trigeminal neuralgia. New
England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 342, June 29, 2000, p. 2003 (correspondence)

Dental alloys affect cellular energy production
NOTE: We usually do not report test tube or animal experiments, but thought we
would make an exception in this case. The findings that commonly used dental
alloys may interrupt the normal function of human cells is a first and could
have wide-ranging effects.

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA. Although nickel is known to be carcinogenic in humans it
is still widely used in certain dental alloys. Researchers at the University of
Alabama now report that other components of dental alloys (beryllium, chromium,
and molybdenum) as well as nickel affect the very basic function of human cells
- the production of energy (ATP). ATP is produced in the mitochondria of cells
and involves highly oxidative processes. It is becoming increasingly clear that
abnormalities in the mitochondrial processes are important causes of human
disease. Some researchers believe that a slowing down of these processes
actually heralds the very first stage in the proliferation of abnormal cells
and cancer.
The Alabama researchers exposed cultures of human gingival (gum) cells to
solutions of nickel, beryllium, chromium (tri- and hexavalent) and molybdenum
(hexavalent) for periods of 24 and 72 hours. They then measured the energy
production and oxygen consumption of the cells' mitochondria in the various
solutions. Cells in contact with nickel or hexavalent chromium were most
affected and showed decreased ATP (energy) production as well as a decrease in
oxygen consumption. The effects of beryllium, molybdenum, and trivalent
chromium were similar, but less pronounced. The researchers conclude that their
findings may be the first indication that some components of common dental
alloys may be detrimental to human health. They urge further research to
establish possible synergisms between mixtures of these different metals on
mitochondrial energy production. [54 references]
Messer, R.L.W., et al. An investigation of fibroblast mitochondria enzyme
activity and respiration in response to metallic ions released from dental
alloys. J Biomed Mater Res, Vol. 50, 2000, pp. 598- 604

TAURANGA, NEW ZEALAND. The New Zealand Ministry of Health is reviewing its
policy on the use of mercury-containing amalgams for tooth fillings. This
review comes hard on the heels of a precautionary advice from the UK Department
of Health which warns pregnant women not to have amalgam fillings installed.
Dr. Mike Godfrey, a leading environmental physician, points out that several
major amalgam manufacturers have issued Material Safety Data Sheets and
Directions for Use which clearly warns of the many dangers of amalgam fillings.
Among the restrictions - amalgam fillings should not be used next to fillings
or crowns containing other metals, they should not be used under crowns, they
should not be used in patients with kidney disease, in pregnant women or in
children aged six years or younger. The manufacturers also warn that mercury
vapours from amalgam fillings can induce psychiatric symptoms in extremely low
concentrations. Depression, mental deterioration, and irritability are among
the symptoms listed. Amalagam fillings are banned in Sweden and Health Canada
has proposed a limit of one (two surfaces) amalgam fillings in a child and four
(eight surfaces) in an adult. Dr. Godfrey points out that his chronic fatigue
syndrome patients have an average of 15 amalgam fillings each and exhibit many
of the symptoms that the amalgam manufacturers are warning against.
Godfrey, M.E. and Feek, Colin. Dental amalgam. New Zealand Medical Journal,
Vol. 111, August 28, 1998, p. 326 (letters to the editor)

Depression and amalgam fillings
FORT COLLINS, COLORADO. There is some evidence that people with dental amalgam
fillings are more likely to suffer from depression than are people without such
fillings. Now researchers at the Rocky Mountain Research Institute report that
removal of amalgam fillings can markedly improve the symptoms of
manic-depressive illness (bipolar disorder). Their study involved 20 patients
who had been diagnosed with manic-depressive illness. All the patients had
amalgam fillings (an average of 10 fillings each). The concentration of mercury
in the mouth was measured at the start of the study and was found to increase
almost 300 per cent after chewing gum for 10 minutes. Other research has shown
that 75 per cent or more of the mercury vapor released by chewing is inhaled
into the lungs where it enters the blood stream and subsequently passes into
the brain. Eleven of the patients were assigned to have all their mercury
fillings removed and were also given multi-vitamins and antioxidants to help
chelate and remove the mercury released during the dental work. The remaining
nine patients had a sealant placed over their fillings and were told that this
sealant would prevent mercury from being released from their fillings. In
actual fact there was no evidence that it would do so. The control group
patients were given a supplemental vitamin and mineral tablet. The patients all
completed various questionnaires designed to evaluate their mental health
before and six to eight months after treatment. It was very clear that the
patients who had had their amalgam fillings removed had improved very
significantly in such important parameters as anxiety, depression, paranoia,
hostility, and obsessive compulsive behaviour. Some of the patients were able
to discontinue their lithium medication after amalgam removal. The researchers
caution that their study was relatively small and urge large scale clinical
trials to validate their findings.
Siblerud, Robert L., et al. Psychometric evidence that dental amalgam mercury
may be an etiological factor in manic depression. Journal of Orthomolecular
Medicine, Vol. 13, No. 1, First Quarter 1998, pp. 31- 40

Amalgam fillings may damage kidneys.
NEWSBRIEF. Amalgam fillings and skin-lightening creams both contain significant
amounts of mercury. Researchers at the King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia have just completed a study aimed at determining whether the mercury
actually gets into the blood stream. The study involved 225 women (aged 17 to
58 years) who had their urine measured for mercury, creatinine, urea, uric
acid, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and glucose. The urinary mercury level
varied between 0 and 204.8 micrograms per liter and was directly related to the
number of dental amalgam fillings present in the women's mouths. The
researchers conclude that chronic exposure to mercury may be associated with
deterioration of renal (kidney) function.
Biometals, Vol. 10, October 1997, pp. 315-23

Amalgam fillings and hearing loss
FORT COLLINS, COLORADO. The leaching of toxic mercury from amalgam fillings has
been implicated in hearing loss. Mercury toxicity has also been linked to
multiple sclerosis (MS). It is believed that the toxic effects of mercury cause
damage to the blood brain barrier, demyelination (damage to the nerves' myelin
sheaths) and slowing of the nerve conduction velocity. Now researchers at the
Rocky Mountain Research Institute provide convincing proof that dental amalgam
fillings may be responsible for the hearing loss often experienced by multiple
sclerosis patients. Their experiment involved seven women aged 32-46 years who
had been diagnosed with MS. The women underwent a standard hearing test in a
sound booth and then had all their amalgam fillings replaced with composites.
Six to eight months later they were again given the hearing test. Six of the
seven patients had significantly improved hearing in the right ear and five of
the seven showed improvement in the left ear. Overall, hearing improved an
average of eight decibels. The researchers conclude that amalgam fillings may
be a significant factor in hearing loss experienced by MS patients and could be
a factor in hearing loss in other people as well.
Siblerud, Robert L. and Kienholz, Eldon. Evidence that mercury from dental
amalgam may cause hearing loss in multiple sclerosis patients. Journal of
Orthomolecular Medicine, Vol. 12, No. 4, Fourth Quarter, 1997, pp. 240-44

Chronic mercury poisoning is widespread
HILLEROED, DENMARK. A Danish dentist, Dr. H. Lichtenberg, reports that most of
his patients with amalgam fillings suffer from chronic mercury poisoning. Dr.
Lichtenberg measured the actual concentration of mercury vapour in the mouths
of his patients and found that it varied between 3 micrograms of mercury vapour
per cubic meter of air and 329 mcg/m3 with an average of 54.6 mcg/m3. This
compares to a maximum permitted level in the workplace of 50 mcg/m3 for people
working eight hours a day five days a week. NOTE: This level applies to
Denmark; the maximum level permitted in Switzerland is 10 mcg/m3 and in the USA
it is 100 mcg/m3. A recent conference in Canada proposed a Tolerable Daily
Intake (TDI) for mercury vapour of 0.014 mcg/kg of body weight per day; this
corresponds to a maximum tolerable daily intake of 1.0 mcg for a person
weighing 70 kilograms. Most of Dr. Lichtenberg's patients were thus exposed to
50 times the TDI. More than half of Dr. Lichtenberg's patients exhibited one or
more of the following symptoms of chronic mercury poisoning - fatigue, poor
concentration, poor memory, bloating, joint pain, muscle fatigue, cold hands
and feet, irritability, and headache. Mercury poisoning from dental fillings
has also been implicated in Alzheimer's disease and heart disease.
Lichtenberg, H. Mercury vapour in the oral cavity in relation to number of
amalgam surfaces and the classic symptoms of chronic mercury poisoning. Journal
of Orthomolecular Medicine, Vol. 11, No. 2, Second Quarter 1996, pp. 87-94

http://www.algonet.se/~leif/yfFRE88a.html

http://www.holisticmed.com/dental/amalgam/child.html

http://www.vimy-dentistry.com/nhanesstudy.htm