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