Summary and Analysis
U.S. Government Safe Mercury Standards, there aren't any! (the rodents
are here!).
Abstracts and Reviews
The following criteria was proposed for establishing scientific proof mercury
from amalgam is a cause of CFS. This criteria was sent to me by a major
university hospital MD involved in research and clinical work on topics
including AIDS, tuberculosis, and CFS.
He points out that anecdotes such as mine will never produce scientific
proof. To gain proof:
"One would need to show, by controlled studies, that:
1. Mercury levels were higher in CFS patients than in matched controls without
CFS.
2. Dental amalgams were more common in CFS patients than in controls.
3. Mercury levels correlated with the number of dental amalgams.
4. Mercury levels dropped with appropriate treatment.
5. Symptoms improved with removal of mercury and amalgams."
The Dr. also kindly sent me several research abstracts from a literature
search in Medline.
The information contained "amalgam research" abstracts from
various experiments at least partially aimed at the 5 points above.
I am intimately familiar with a case study of one, and have since read much
deeper than many of the clearly superficial -- dental industry apologetic
papers included in this page.
Presumptuously, I compare my experiences and extended knowledge to critique
and validate the design of the experiments.
Interpretive commentary has been added following each abstract. At the
start of the abstracts you'll find my summary and analysis. Placing the
concluding commentary first is intended to spare those who prefer English
over Latin, yet want to know what was said anyway.
I aim to be as objective as possible in viewing this research data. Sometimes
I give opinions about the experiment design, the overlooking of the obvious,
and what seems ludicrous.
In no case do I intend to be "wishing away" hard data that
doesn't agree with my mercury hypothesis. As it stands, I've learned much
from this information, and have further refined my mercury contentions as
a result.
For those of you who don't want to muddle through all of the abstracts,
again, I provide my summary and analysis first.
Before that even, I insist you read what your government has used to
determine safe levels of mercury exposure for you, in the interest of preserving
for your good health. It's appalling what has been done to animals to come
up with such inadequate standards.
U.S. Government Safe Mercury Minimum Level
Standards
The following "gif" images were published by the the environmental
hazards branch of the CDC in Atlanta Georgia. (Since their tables are scans,
I've chosen to have the reader view them then return to this page for commentary.)
Table 1. The effects of breathing elemental
mercury on humans.
My personal experience was to have accumulated enough mercury to reach 3.4
ppm in my hair. It took longer than 8 hours for me to acquire that much,
but why should that matter ? The 5.4 ppm is what was measured in the air,
it doesn't reveal what was actually absorbed. My 3.4 ppm accumulated is
more or less than what this amount accomplishes?
In just these short exposures, people had real problems.
As for symptoms: if "lack of ambition" means "you can't get
off the sofa", then it is clear to me that chronic exposure can bring
you to this exact same place. Irritability is also part and parcel with
CFS.
From this we conclude that mercury amalgam fillings, proven to be continuously
releasing mercury vapor into our mouths, is safe ? What do you imagine mercury
amalgam out gassing mercury, abrading particles, and releasing mercury ions
into your mouth over 20 years will do for you ?
Table 2. The effects of breathing elemental
mercury vapor on rodents.
Why do we know so much more about the rodent effects ? Because after you
expose them, you dissect them, and look at what you have done. Obviously
you can't do this to humans.
They used exposure levels equivalent to the buildup in my 1995 hair (3.4
ppm mercury) to expose these poor little creatures for one hour. The result:
devastating consequences to their major body organs.
There's likely to be a difference from humans in the issue of body mass
differences. Mass increases as a cubic function when you increase up to
human size. We can probably withstand more than these small animals. The
point not to forget is that mercury is doing damage at all levels of exposure.
The longer term exposures only get worse for rodents.
Notice that there are no safe levels demonstrated over any amount of
time. I don't see the evidence for the minimum safe level! Even a small
amount, if concentrated in nerve or immune cells, could be devastating.
If the cause of an autoimmune response, more than plenty!
Table 3. The effects of breathing organic
mercury vapor on humans.
There is no information here.
Table 4. The effects of breathing organic mercury
vapor on rodents.
There is no information here either.
Table 5. The effects of eating and drinking
elemental mercury on humans.
The great human knowledge void appears! From this we conclude that
mercury amalgam fillings, proven to dissolve, erode, crumble, and fall out
of our teeth into our mouth and GI track is safe ?
Table 6. The effects of eating and drinking
elemental mercury on rodents.
Kidney problems, immune problems, changes of behavior, death of young, where
can I get some of this for myself ? Instant availability for "100+
million satisfied mercury amalgam dental patients".
Table 7. The effects of eating and drinking
organic mercury on humans.
The human knowledge void continues! From this we conclude that mercury
amalgam fillings, proven to dissolve, erode, crumble, and fall out of our
teeth into our mouth and GI track, where untold numbers of microorganisms
are capable of converting the mercury to methyl mercury, is safe ?
Table 8. The effects of eating and drinking
organic mercury on rodents.
Two years in a rabbit is what to a human ? Mothers, beware your children.
You may have CFS, but that same mercury may do much worse to your offspring.
Summary and Analysis
1. There is clear and compelling research data to demonstrate that mercury
escaped from mercury amalgam fillings contribute measurable mercury to the
body tissues and urine stream.
2. DMPS administration is a demonstrated means for increasing mercury
outflow from the body tissues to the urine stream.
3. A number of researchers have gone to great effort to prove that the
mercury amalgam population at large doesn't have health problems that might
be related to mercury. A fact supported by the top line analysis that 99.5%
don't have CFS.
For those of us who remain undeterred in suspecting mercury, this data
leads us to wonder why some people are poisoned and others not ? Simply
put, it's the direction of inequality of mercury intake rates vs excretion
rates.
4. While cognitive and physical manifestations of CFS from mercury
toxicity are relegated to possibly existing in only 0.5% of the amalgam
population, emotions are a different story.
At least among women, mercury amalgam appears to be giving a significant
number of them more fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, anger and depression.
Does this also explain why dentists who literally work and breath mercury
daily have historically higher suicide rates than the general public?
5. While dismissing a 14 day, 3 month waiting time period chelation
as a cure, the DMSA study, along with the angry women study, both hinted
at meaningful fatigue effects.
The DMSA patients who got the "real stuff" showed a meaningful
alleviation of fatigue. The women with mercury amalgam fillings expressed
having more fatigue and insomnia than the control group. When considering
CFS causes, anything affecting fatigue gets our attention.
6. There is a serious void in the research literature of well designed
experiments aimed at determining if mercury is a root cause for people suffering
from CFS. There are no proven safe levels of mercury exposure for humans.
You can rightly argue that there are no unsafe levels proven either.
However, the effects on our poor little animal friends should put fear in
anyone that has ever had a mercury amalgam filling.
Lets revisit the research MD's criteria for establishing scientific proof
that mercury causes CFS:
An amendment to the research MD's criteria is to change requirement #1 to
"Toxicity enabling cofactors are correlated in the CFS group, but not
in the larger amalgam population"..
My reasoning is that as a statistical population, everyone with mercury
amalgam fillings has potential to see similar mercury exposure rates. Nominal
exposure rates will vary with fillings according to size, surface area and
number. Yet only 0.5% are suffering from full fledged CFS. There has to
be more to the story of mercury toxicity in the CFS group.
Point 2 below is a futile question, since WHO reports that 98% of adult
Americans between 35 & 45 have amalgam filling experience. Proving that
fillings in one group are more common than another when you know that 98%
of all have them will produce no information.
My problem with criteria numbers 2 & 3 is that there isn't a mathematically
proportional indicator for determining the true body burden of mercury.
The harmfully bound mercury is not in the hair, floating in the blood, or
coming out in urine, even with a DMPS challenge.
Current diagnostics can only show if a mercury elevation is likely, but
not the true magnitude of that elevation.
"One would need to show, by controlled studies, that:
1. "Toxicity enabling cofactors are correlated in the CFS group, but
not in the larger amalgam population".
2. Dental amalgams were more common in CFS patients than in controls.
3. Mercury levels correlated with the number of dental amalgams.
4. Mercury levels dropped with appropriate treatment.
5. Symptoms improved with removal of mercury and amalgams."
The abstracts in this page provide the following answers:
#1 - no data
#2 - no data, and none possible.
#3 - Demonstrated, to the extent that urine levels followed the number of
fillings in healthy people.
#4 - Demonstrated, to the extent that urine levels followed the number of
fillings in healthy people.
#5 - Inconclusive, restorative nutrition and extended recovery times are
missing from all of these studies.
The quest for scientific proof must continue. The picture of scientific
facts is not yet filled in to prove or disprove that mercury from amalgams
is a cause of illness in the 0.5% of the amalgam population with CFS.
We are certain that the mercury dental fillings are exposing the entire
population bearing them to mercury, a proven toxin. We are certain that
similar levels of accumulative mercury exposure are creating devastating
effects in rodents.
You are chronically ill with CFS symptoms for 11 years, have had all other
known root causes of illness examined and eliminated. You have demonstrated
an elevation of body mercury through a DMPS "challenge". Should
you take a chance that mercury is the root cause?
That was the decision I was faced with in early 1995. You have to decide
for yourself.
I took the gamble, I won. I became well, it appears in my case that it was
indeed the mercury.
Long-term mercury excretion
in urine after removal of amalgam fillings.
Begerow-J; Zander-D; Freier-I; Dunemann-L. Int-Arch-Occup-Environ-Health.
1994; 66(3): 209-12 .
The long-term urinary mercury excretion was determined in 17 28- to 55-year-old
persons before and at varying times (up to 14 months) after removal of all
(4-24) dental amalgam fillings. Before removal the urinary mercury excretion
correlated with the number of amalgam fillings. In the immediate post-removal
phase (up to 6 days after removal) a mean increase of 30% was observed.
Within 12 months the geometric mean of the mercury excretion was reduced
by a factor of 5 from 1.44 micrograms/g (range: 0.57-4.38 micrograms/g)
to 0.36 microgram/g (range: 0.13-0.88 microgram/g). After cessation of exposure
to dental amalgam the mean half-life was 95 days. These results show that
the release of mercury from dental amalgam contributes predominantly to
the mercury exposure of non-occupationally exposed persons. The exposure
from amalgam fillings thus exceeds the exposure from food, air and beverages.
Within 12 months after removal of all amalgam fillings the participants
showed substantially lower urinary mercury levels which were comparable
to those found in subjects who have never had dental amalgam fillings. A
relationship between the urinary mercury excretion and adverse effects was
not found. Differences in the frequency of effects between the pre- and
the post-removal phase were not observed.
Comments
1. First of all, lets end the debate on whether mercury amalgam fillings
contribute mercury to your body chemistry right here. The study above shows
quite clearly they do.
2. As I experienced it, having my fillings changed was a trigger. If the
metal is excreting at a 30% higher rate, can we assume it is being absorbed
at a higher rate also ?
3. It's not the mercury coming out in urine that is causing health problems.
It is the metal stuck in/to important cells in the body that has negative
effects.
4. I wouldn't expect anyone chronically ill to get better based on simply
removing amalgam, not without a subsequent and thorough set of chelation
treatments over some months.
DMSA administration to patients with alleged
mercury poisoning from
dental amalgams: a placebo-controlled study. Sandborgh-Englund-G;
Dahlqvist-R; Lindelof-B; Soderman-E; Jonzon-B; Vesterberg-O; Larsson-KS
.
J-Dent-Res. 1994 Mar; 73(3): 620-8 .
The present investigation was performed to determine the effect of 14-day
oral administration of meso-2.3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) on the urinary
mercury excretion and the potential reduction of blood and plasma mercury
concentrations, and also to relate these effects to possible decrease of
symptoms, allegedly associated with amalgam fillings. Twenty subjects, relating
their symptoms to mercury from amalgam fillings, received 20 mg/kg DMSA
or placebo for 14 days. Their symptoms and mood states were recorded during
the study and at a check-up 3 months later. Interpretation was based on
intra-individual differences. DMSA-treatment resulted in an average increase
in urinary mercury excretion by 65% and a decrease in blood mercury levels
of 0.04 microgram/L/day. At the check-up after 3 months, urinary mercury
excretion had returned to the pre-treatment level. No treatment effect of
DMSA was apparent on subjective symptoms and mood state.
One statistically significant treatment effect was noted-a decrease in fatigue-inertia
in the DMSA-group-but there was no demonstrable correlation with increased
urinary excretion or decreased blood concentration of mercury. Three subjects
showed hypersensitive reactions, probably DMSA specific, at the end of the
treatment period. This placebo-controlled study provides no scientific support
for diagnostic or therapeutic administration of DMSA for symptoms allegedly
associated with chronic mercury exposition from dental amalgam fillings.
Comments
1. What was the amalgam status ? Did they or did they not remove the
amalgam first? It doesn't appear that mercury body burden was established
at the start either.
2. The time periods and number of treatments are way off what I experienced.
I had 6 DMPS treatments spaced over a year, with the first 5 averaging every
6 weeks. At the end of 14 days, and at the end of 3 months, I would not
have been able to claim any major improvements either. In fact, I suspect
that at the end of 14 days, a bunch of these guys felt even worse. It was
some days after restorative vitamin & mineral IV that I recuperated
from the treatment. Actual recovery to a higher state of wellness took even
longer after chelation.
3. Very interesting CFS suffers: "One statistically significant treatment
effect was noted-a decrease in fatigue-inertia in the DMSA-group..."
4. What this proves to me is that one 14 day burst of intense chelation
treatment is not likely to cure anyone of mercury poisoning in a 3 month
time period.
Human studies with the chelating agents, DMPS
and DMSA. Aposhian-HV;
Maiorino-RM; Rivera-M; Bruce-DC; Dart-RC; Hurlbut-KM; Levine-DJ; Zheng-W;
Fernando-Q; Carter-D; et-al . J-Toxicol-Clin-Toxicol. 1992; 30(4): 505-28
.
Meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) is bound to plasma albumin in
humans and appears to be excreted in the urine as the DMSA-cysteine mixed
disulfide. The pharmacokinetics of DMSA have been determined after its administration
to humans po. For the blood, the tmax and t1/2 were 3.0 h + 0.45 SE and
3.2 h + 0.56 SE, respectively. The Cmax was 26.2 microM + 4.7 SE. To determine
whether dental amalgams influence the human body burden of mercury, we gave
volunteers the sodium salt of 2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonic acid (DMPS).
The diameters of dental amalgams of the subjects were determined to obtain
the amalgam score. Administration of 300 mg DMPS by mouth increased the
mean urinary mercury excretion of subjects over a 9 h period. There was
a positive correlation between the amount of mercury excreted and the amalgam
score. DMPS might be useful for increasing the urinary excretion of mercury
and thus increasing the significance and reliability of this measure of
mercury exposure. DMSA analogs have been designed and synthesized in attempts
to increase the uptake by cell membranes of the DMSA prototype chelating
agents. The i.v. administration of the monomethyl ester of DMSA, the dimethyl
ester of DMSA or the zinc chelate of dimethyl DMSA increases the biliary
excretion of platinum and cadmium in rats.
Comments
1. This experiment is clear in demonstrating that mercury amalgam contributes
directly to the amount of mercury, a known toxin, held within your body.
2. My MD's position on DMPS as a diagnostic tool is supported here.
Urinary mercury after administration of 2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonic
acid: correlation with dental amalgam score. Aposhian-HV; Bruce-DC;
Alter-W; Dart-RC; Hurlbut-KM; Aposhian-MM . FASEB-J. 1992 Apr; 6(7): 2472-6
.
There is considerable controversy as to whether dental amalgams may cause
systemic health effects in humans because they liberate elemental mercury.
Most such amalgams contain as much as 50% metallic mercury. To determine
the influence of dental amalgams on the mercury body burden of humans, we
have given volunteers, with and without amalgams in their mouth, the sodium
salt of 2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonic acid (DMPS), a chelating agent
safely used in the Soviet Union and West Germany for a number of years.
The diameters of dental amalgams of the subjects were determined to obtain
the amalgam score. Administration of 300 mg DMPS by mouth increased the
mean urinary mercury excretion of the amalgam group from 0.70 to 17.2 micrograms
and that of the nonamalgam group from 0.27 to 5.1 micrograms over a 9-h
period. Two-thirds of the mercury excreted in the urine of those with dental
amalgams appears to be derived originally from the mercury vapor released
from their amalgams. Linear regression analysis indicated a highly significant
positive correlation between the mercury excreted in the urine 2h after
DMPS administration and the dental amalgam scores. DMPS can be used to increase
the urinary excretion of mercury and thus increase the significance and
reliability of this measure of mercury exposure or burden, especially in
cases of micromercurialism.
Comments
1. This experiment is also clear in demonstrating that mercury amalgam
contributes to the amount of mercury held within your body.
2. My MD's position on DMPS as a diagnostic tool is further supported here.
Dental amalgam and cognitive function in older
women: findings from the
Nun Study. Saxe-SR; Snowdon-DA; Wekstein-MW; Henry-RG; Grant-FT; Donegan-SJ;
Wekstein-DR. J-Am-Dent-Assoc. 1995 Nov; 126(11): 1495-501 .
The authors determined the number and surface area of occlusal dental
amalgams in a group of 129 Roman Catholic sisters who were 75 to 102 years
of age. Findings from this study of women with relatively homogeneous adult
lifestyles and environments suggest that existing amalgams are not
associated with lower performance on eight different tests of cognitive
function.
Comments
1. Okay. But we already know that occurrence of CFS in mercury amalgam
patients is not greater than 0.5%. 500,000/100,000,000. Randomly select
100 mercury amalgam patients and you have at best a 50% chance that just
one of them is demonstrating CFS symptoms.
Concentrations of blood, serum and urine components
in relation to number
of amalgam tooth fillings in Swedish women. Ahlqwist-M; Bengtsson-C;
Lapidus-L; Lindstedt-G; Lissner-L . Community-Dent-Oral-Epidemiol. 1995
Aug; 23(4): 217-21 .
Altogether 1462 women aged 38, 46, 50, 54 and 60 yr were examined in
1968/69 in a combined medical and dental population study in Gothenburg,
Sweden. Number of tooth surfaces restored with amalgam fillings was assessed.
The examination was repeated in 1980/81 including a new dental examination.
The results from a number of biochemical analyses of blood, serum and urine
were analyzed for a possible statistical relationship to number of dental
amalgam fillings. As emphasis has been put in the literature on special
influence from amalgam on kidney function and on the immunological system,
special attention was paid to variables which might reflect these functions
in our analyses. When potential confounders were taken into consideration,
no significant correlations remained which seemed to be of clinical importance.
Specifically, amalgam fillings were not found to be associated with impairment
of the kidney function or the immunological status.
Comments
1. Again, we already know that occurrence of CFS in mercury amalgam patients
is not greater than 0.5%. Most people with mercury amalgam are not suffering
mercury suspicious health problems, this fact is well established.
2. We need to be focusing on the populations of sick people. This is a 3-sigma
problem. Random, population at large studies are never going to add new
knowledge to low level mercury toxicology.
Mercury, dental amalgam fillings and intellectual
abilities in Inuit
school children in Greenland. Tulinius-AV . Arctic-Med-Res. 1995 Apr;
54(2): 78-81 .
The hair mercury concentration of 125 Greenland pupils aged 12 to 17
was recorded and compared with the pupils' marks in selected school subjects.
Mercury values ranged from 0.2 to 15.9 microgram per gram (micrograms/g)
and 20% of the pupils had more than 6 micrograms/g. There was no correlation
between a high mercury concentration score and poor results in school. Correlation
of the number of dental amalgam fillings with mercury concentration showed
a weak trend but no significant relation. Eating habits were significantly
correlated with mercury concentration. Girls had a significantly higher
number of amalgam fillings than boys, and had a significantly higher mercury
concentration. Modern Inuit and the mummified Qilaqitsoq Inuit from the
15th century had largely identical levels of mercury in the hair irrespective
of today's higher exposure to global environmental contamination. This is
believed to result from a change in eating habits away from the traditional
Greenland food towards a more continental diet.
Comments
1. Again, we already know that occurrence of CFS in mercury amalgam patients
is not greater than 0.5%. Most people with mercury amalgam are not suffering
mercury suspicious health problems, this fact is well established.
2. We need to be focusing on the populations of sick people. This is a 3-sigma
problem. Random, population at large studies are never going to add new
knowledge to low level mercury toxicology.
Dental amalgam, low-dose exposure to mercury,
and urinary proteins in
young Swedish men. Herrstrom-P; Schutz-A; Raihle-G; Holthuis-N;
Hogstedt-B; Rastam-L . Arch-Environ-Health. 1995 Mar-Apr; 50(2): 103-7 .
Chronic exposure to inorganic mercury can cause kidney injury. Evidence
gained from occupational medicine indicates that individuals who are exposed
to only environmental sources, including amalgam tooth fillings, are at
very little risk. Animal experiments, however, have revealed glomerular
lesions of immunologic origin after low-dose exposure to inorganic mercury.
In this study, the association between the number of amalgam tooth surfaces,
urinary mercury, and proteinuria was explored in a sample of 48 randomly
selected, apparently healthy male students who were 17-22 y of age. Presence
of any of the following proteins in two separate urine samples was considered
to be potentially indicative of any tubular and/or glomerular lesion: albumin,
alpha-1-microglobulin (HC-protein), kappa and lambda light chains, and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase.
No significant relationship was found between any of the proteins and amalgam
or urinary mercury. The results of this study did not suggest that amalgam
fillings cause kidney dysfunction in humans.
Comments
1. Again, we already know that occurrence of CFS in mercury amalgam patients
is not greater than 0.5%. Most people with mercury amalgam are not suffering
mercury suspicious health problems, this fact is well established.
2. We need to be focusing on the populations of sick people. This is a 3-sigma
problem. Random, population at large studies are never going to add new
knowledge.
3. What is the mean age for developing CFS ? Taking 17-22 year olds is looking
at individuals at the prime of life and vitality.
Determination of blood mercury concentrations
in Alzheimer's patients.
Fung-YK; Meade-AG; Rack-EP; Blotcky-AJ; Claassen-JP; Beatty-MW; Durham-T
.
J-Toxicol-Clin-Toxicol. 1995; 33(3): 243-7 .
Trace element neurotoxicity can be an etiologic factor for Alzheimer's
disease. This cross sectional clinical study determined blood mercury in
patients with diagnosed Alzheimer's disease as compared to control subjects
without known central nervous system and renal disorders. Unique within
the confines of a nursing home, all subjects were exposed to the same environment
and consumed a diet without fish and seafood for a period of three months
prior to the study. The results of this study show that blood mercury concentrations
detected in subjects with Alzheimer's disease were not statistically different
than that of control subjects. Ratios of blood mercury to blood selenium
were also determined and no statistical difference was found between these
two groups.
Comments
1. I'd like to see this experiment done again using the DMPS "challenge".
2. My understanding of Alzheimers is that it is a "brain disease",
not a "blood disease". If mercury is chemically lodged in brain
nerve cells, it does not follow that it will also be floating in the blood
in the same proportion.
3. The mercury in my hair, remaining in my fillings, coming out in my urine,
and floating in my blood is not the mercury making me sick.
Renal effect of mercury from amalgam fillings.
Eti-S; Weisman-R;
Hoffman-R; Reidenberg-MM . Pharmacol-Toxicol. 1995 Jan; 76(1): 47-9 .
The current study was to answer the question: Is enough mercury absorbed
from dental amalgam fillings to produce renal damage? One hundred healthy
adults (18-44 years old) filled out health questionnaires and voided urine
samples. Urine mercury concentration and N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG)
were measured. Subjects were grouped into those having amalgam fillings
(N =66) and those without (N = 34). Median (95% Confidence Interval) urine
mercury was 1 (1-2) and 0 (0-0.6) ng/ml (P < 0.01) and median urine NAG
was 23 (18-27) and 16 (11-18) units (P < 0.05) in the two groups respectively.
People with mercury amalgam fillings excreted slightly more mercury than
people without them, and have a very small increase in urinary NAG excretion
that is of no clinical significance. This dose of mercury absorbed from
amalgam appears to be too little to be a public health hazard for renal
injury.
Comments
1. Again. We already know that occurrence of CFS in mercury amalgam patients
is not greater than 0.5%. Most people with mercury amalgam are not suffering
mercury suspicious health problems, this fact is well established.
2. We need to be focusing on the populations of sick people. This is a 3-sigma
problem. Random, population at large studies are never going to add new
knowledge.
3. 99.5% of people appear to suffer this level of exposure to the toxin
just fine. When 0.5% of the amalgam population is 500,000 people and you
are one of those, 99.5% just isn't "good enough".
Effect of mercury from dental amalgams on
mercury concentration in urine.
Ulukapi-I; Cengiz-S; Sandalli-N . J-Nihon-Univ-Sch-Dent. 1994 Dec; 36(4):
266-8 .
A study was conducted to determine the mercury concentration in urine
after placement of dental amalgam restorations. The 24-h urine mercury levels
in 10 children with a mean age of 8 years were determined before the amalgam
restorations had been placed, and after placement. The urinary
mercury content was measured by the cold vapor atomic fluorescence method.
Mercury levels in the urine samples before placement of the amalgam restorations
were below the detection limit, and the values obtained after placement,
although detectable, were far below the limits stipulated by the World Health
Organization. Under the conditions of this study, it is considered that
the mercury levels released from dental amalgams are not high enough to
cause any systemic toxic effect.
Comments
1. Amalgam fillings are a definite source of mercury to the body.
2. Wait a minute here! There is no evidence in this study to jump to a conclusion
on long term systemic toxicity effects. I personally have 20+ years invested
in accumulating mercury this way.
3. Mercury poisoning from amalgam is a slow accumulative process. If the
negative results of placing a filling were immediate, I wouldn't be writing
this, and there wouldn't be any children having a known toxin, #3 on the
EPA's list, placed in their teeth in 1994.
4. What century is this ? We put a known toxin in the teeth of our children,
none become sick immediately, we pat ourselves on the back "good job",
and go have a beer to celebrate ?
Psychometric evidence that mercury from silver
dental fillings may be an
etiological factor in depression, excessive anger, and anxiety.
Siblerud-RL; Motl-J; Kienholz-E . Psychol-Rep. 1994 Feb; 74(1): 67-80 .
Scores on the Beck Depression Inventory were compared for 25 women who
had silver dental fillings (amalgams) and for 23 women without amalgams.
Women with amalgams had significantly higher scores and reported
more symptoms of fatigue and insomnia. Anger scores from the State-Trait
Anger Expression Inventory showed that the women with amalgams had statistically
significantly higher mean scores on expressing anger without provocation
and experiencing more intense angry feelings. The women without amalgams
scored significantly higher on controlling anger, which suggested they invested
more energy in monitoring and preventing the experience and expression of
anger. Anxiety scores from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory showed the
women with amalgams scored significantly less pleasant, satisfied, happy,
secure, and steady, and had a more difficult time making decisions. They
had significantly higher Trait Anxiety scores. The women with amalgams also
had significantly higher levels of mercury in the oral cavity before and
after chewing gum. The study suggests that amalgam mercury may be an etiological
factor in depression, excessive anger, and anxiety because mercury can produce
such symptoms perhaps by affecting the neurotransmitters in the brain.
Comments
1. This study goes against my nag that 99.5% have no mercury caused health
problems. The angle here is different from the other studies in that it
is essentially measuring emotions, and not cognitive, physical or biochemical
metrics. Though the fatigue jumps out at a recovered CFS sufferer.
2. As a recovered CFS sufferer, I know about unstable emotions and anxiety.
This study connects with me. It demonstrates a set of symptoms that affects
a much larger portion of the population.
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