DENTAL AMALGAM MERCURY
SYNDROME ............................ www.dams.cc
DAMS Intl. St
Paul, Mn, 55015
Studies Document that
amalgam dental fillings are the largest source of both inorganic and organic
mercury in most people.
Peer-reviewed medical studies and thousands of clinical tests by
Medical Labs have documented that:
1. The daily
mercury exposure (measured in saliva and feces) for those with amalgam
dental fillings is on average more than 10 times higher than those without amalgam fillings.
2. Amalgam
is the largest source of mercury exposure in most
people- both for inorganic and organic mercury.
3. Amalgam is
also a major source of the high levels of mercury in all U.S. sewer
plants and in lakes, rivers, and fish.
4. Millions of
people in the U.S. have dangerous levels of mercury exposure and millions of
women of child bearing age have levels high enough to make birth defects and
developmental disorders in infants likely.
Documentation:
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(10). (13
times that of the population w/o amalgam). A Swedish lab that does fecal tests for mercury
had similar results(10). Government and Scientific panels have
confirmed amalgam is the number one source of mercury in most people and
affects millions(24,FS 1-8).
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(11). 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(21,22,23).
The saliva
mercury level for those with several amalgam fillings(8
or more) was more than 10 times the level of those without
amalgam fillings. 10 % of
those with amalgam fillings had unstimulated mercury saliva levels of over
100 ug/L. Mercury level was proportional to the
number of fillings(12,11). Three studies that looked at a population with more than 12 fillings found generally higher
levels than this study, with average mercury level in unstimulated
saliva of 29 ug/L [33 ug/d](13),
32.7 ug/L
[37 ug/d]
(14), and 75 ug/day(15). The saliva and
feces of children with amalgams have approximately
10 times the level of mercury as children without (10,16,17,FS 8),
and much higher
levels in saliva after chewing.
Mercury levels in saliva
and feces usually decline after amalgam replacement between 80
to 95% (10,11,18-20,FS 8). The studies document
that amalgam is the number one source of both inorganic and organic
mercury in most people. It has been documented that inorganic mercury is
methylated to methyl mercury in the mouth and intestines by bacteria, yeast,
and other methyl donors(21,22.23).
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 6 micrograms(ug) 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(FS 1).
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)
(FS
7). Metal crowns are
usually placed over amalgam base which gives even more galvanic currents and
mercury exposure than amalgam fillings. This is warned against by the largest
amalgam manufacturer and many Government health agencies, along with other
common practices regarding amalgam commonly ignored by dentists in the U.S. (FS
8) Several states now require warnings to patients by dentists about the
toxicity of mercury(FS 10).
Studies that the
Government Health Standards were based on have found adverse health
effects at very low levels(FS 8,24,25) and developmental
effects on infants and children at very low levels of exposure(FS 2, FS 5,25),
along with finding that mercury vapor from a mothers fillings is readily transferred through the mothers blood across the placenta to a fetus and also through mothers milk(FS 2,FS 8,24) and commonly causes developmental effects(FS
2,25).
All sewer plants in the
U.S. and sewer sludge have been found to have high levels of mercury by Govt
agencies, with mercury excretion into home and business sewers by those with
amalgam fillings the most common factor along with high levels from dental
office sewers(FS 9). Government agencies
have documented that this is a major factor in mercury in rivers, lakes, fish,
as well as crops and rain since soil bacteria methylate the mercury from sludge
used for land spreading or in landfills to methyl mercury, which is emitted at
high levels.
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. (http://www.myflcv.com/indexd.html )
References
(10) Doctors Data Inc.; Fecal Elements Test; P.O.Box 111, West Chicago, Illinois,
60186-0111; www.doctorsdata.com ; & Biospectron
Lab, LMI, Lennart Mansson International AB,
lmi.analyslab@swipnet.se; http://home.swipnet.se/misac/research11.html#biospectrons
(11) 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;& Leistevuo J
et al., Dental amalgam fillings and the amount of organic mercury in human
saliva, Corks Res, 35(3):163-6 (2001 May-Jun) & Sellars WA, Sellars R. Univ. Of Texas
Southwestern Medical School Methyl mercury in dental amalgams in
the human mouth, Journal of Nutritional & Environmental
Medicine 1996; 6(1): 33-37
(12) Dr. P.Kraub
& M.Deyhle, Universitat
Tubingen- Institut fur Organische
Chemie, "Field Study on the Mercury Content of
Saliva", 1997 www.uni-tuebingen.de/KRAUSS/amalgam.html;
(20,000
people tested for mercury level in saliva and health status/symptoms compiled)
(13) M.J.Vimy,F.L.Lorscheider,Intra
oral Mercury released from dental amalgams and estimation of daily
dose J. Dent Res., 1985,64(8):1069-1075;
(14) A.Gebhardt,
Ermittlung der Quecksilberbelastung
aus Amalgamfullurngen, Labormedizin 16,384-386,1992;
(15) B.Arnold, Eigenschaften und Einsatzgebiete
des Chelatbildners:DMPS, Z.Umweltmedizin
1997,5(1):38- ; & Diagnostik un Monitorung vonSchwermetallbelastungen,I,II,
ZWR,1996, 105(10): 586-569 & (11):665-; & Therapie
der Schwermetallbelastung, Mineraloscope,
1996,(1):22-23.
(16) C.Malmstrom, M.Hansson,
M. Nylander, Conference on Trace Elements
in Health and Disease. Stockholm May 25,1992, "Silver amalgam: an unstable
material", Swedish paper translated in
& C.Malmstrom, "Amalgam derived
mercury in feces", Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine, 5,
(Abs 122), 1992;
(17) 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;
(18) L.Bjorkman
et al, "Mercury in Saliva and Feces after Removal of
Amalgam Fillings",
Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 1997, 144(1),
p156-62; & (b) J
Dent Res 75: 38-, IADR Abstract 165, 1996.
(19)G. Sandborgh-Englund, Pharmakinetics of mercury from dental amalgam, Medical School Dissertation Dept.
Of Basal Oral Sciences, Karolinska Institute, (Stockholm),1998,1-49;
& G. Sandborgh-Englund
et al, Mercury in biological fluids after
amalgam removal. J Dental Res, 1998, 77(4): 615-24;
(20) 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)
(21) 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; & 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.
(22)S Yannai,
I Berdicevsky, and L Duek,
Transformations of inorganic mercury by Candida albicans
and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1991 January; 57 (1): 245247; & Choi SC, Bartha R..
Cobalamin-mediated mercury methylation by Desulfovibrio
desulfuricans LS. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1993
Jan;59(1):290-5; & Pan-Hou HS, Imura N. Involvement of mercury
methylation in microbial mercury detoxication. Arch
Microbiol. 1982 Mar;131(2):176-7; & Zorn NE,
Smith JT. A relationship between vitamin B12, folic acid, ascorbic
acid, and mercury uptake and methylation. Life
Sci. 1990;47(2):167-73.
(23) Ludwicki
JK., Studies on the role of gastrointestinal tract
contents in the methylation of inorganic mercury compounds. Bull
Environ Contam Toxicol.
1989 Feb;42(2):283-8; & Rowland I,
Davies M, Grasso P. Biosynthesis of methylmercury compounds by the
intestinal flora of the rat. Arch Environ Health. 1977
Jan-Feb;32(1):24-8; & Rowland IR, Grasso P, Davies MJ. The
methylation of mercuric chloride by human intestinal bacteria. Experientia. 1975 SEP 15;31(9):1064-5.
(24) Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Public Health Service, Toxicological Profile for
Mercury , 1999; & ATSDR/EPA Priority List for 1999: Top 20 Hazardous Substances,
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services: & World
Health Organization(WHO),1991, Environmental Health Criteria 118, Inorganic Mercury,
WHO, Geneva.
(25) U.S. CDC, National
Center for Environmental Health, National Report on Human Exposure to
Environmental Chemicals, 2001,
& National
Research Council, Toxicological Effects of Methyl mercury (2000), pp. 304‑332:
Risk Characterization and Public Health Implications, Nat'l Academy Press
2000.
Available fact sheets on
website with over 2500 medical study references include:
FS1. Common
Mercury Exposure Levels from Amalgam Fillings
High and Government Health Standards Commonly
Exceeded, http://www.myflcv.com/amalno1.html
FS2. Transfer of Mercury from Mothers Amalgams and Breast Milk to the Fetus and Developmental Effects
of Mercury on Infants, www.myflcv.com/fetaln.html
FS3. Documentation
of recovery from 60,000 clinical cases of serious adverse health effects after
replacement of amalgam fillings in over 30 chronic health conditions, http://www.myflcv.com/hgremove.html
FS4. Adverse
Oral Health Problems related to Amalgam Fillings, http://www.myflcv.com/periodon.html
FS5. Effect of
Mercury and Other Toxic Metal Exposure on Cognitive and Behavioral Problems of Children- including
ADD, dyslexia, juvenile delinquency, and crime, http://www.myflcv.com.tmlbn.html/
FS6, Autoimmune
conditions: CFS, FM, MS, Parkinsons, ALS, Alzheimers, Lupus, Chrons, Schleraderma: the connection to
mercury immune reactivity and amalgam fillings; www.myflcv.com/damsindx.html
FS7. The battery
in your mouth: oral galvanic currents and metals in the mouth, and interactions
with EMF , www.myflcv.com/galv.html
FS8. Health
Effects of amalgam fillings and results of replacement of amalgam filings. Over 2000 medical study references (most
in Medline) documenting common high mercury exposures from amalgam, and that
vapor from amalgam is the most dangerous
form of mercury to the fetus, and approx. 60,000 clinical cases of amalgam
replacement followed by doctors;
http://www.myflcv.com/amalg6.html
FS9. The
environmental effects of amalgam affect everyone. High levels of
mercury in sewer plants, sewer sludge, crops, rain, rivers, lakes, fish due to
mercury excreted by those with amalgam. http://www.myflcv.com/damspr2f.html
FS10. State laws
requiring warnings about adverse health effects of mercury by dentists or placing restrictions on amalgam
use www.myflcv.com/damspr5.html
National contact
person: Bernard
Windham berniew1@embarqmail.com 850-878-9024
Local Contact Person:
