Scientifically Proven Facts

About Dental Mercury  


1. Dental Amalgam contains about 50% Mercury.
2. Mercury has been scientifically demonstrated to be more toxic than Lead, Cadmium, or even Arsenic.
3. Mercury leaves dental amalgam continuously throughout the lifetime of the filing.(7)
4. Mercury vapour is the main way that mercury comes out of amalgam.(31)
5. Mercury vapour is absorbed at a rate of 80% through the lungs into the arterial blood. (31, 55)
6. Mercury is cytotoxic. Ie. It kills cells
7. There is NO harmless level of Mercury Vapour Exposure. (63)
8. Mercury from amalgam binds to -SH (sulphydryl) groups. These exist in almost every enzymatic process in the body. Mercury from amalgam will thus have the potential of disturbing all metabolic processes. ( 25, 33,60).
9. Mercury from amalgam is transported freely via the blood.(19,34,35,)
10. Mercury vapour is absorbed directly into the brain. (34, 55a)
11. Mercury from amalgam will result in a slow build up of mercury in body tissues. (20,26, 34)
12. Mercury crosses the blood brain barrier. (34,55a)
13. Mercury is implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease. (67,68)
14. Mercury from amalgam is stored in the foetus and infant before the mother. (20,61)
15. Mercury from amalgam is stored in the breast milk and the foetus up to 8 times more than the mother's tissues. (18,19)
16. Mercury (Mercury Vapour / Methylmercury) crosses the placenta.(18, 31)
17. Mercury Crosses into breast milk.(18,31,61)
18. Mercury will severely reduce reproductive function.(2, 3, 4, 20, 22, 24, 31, 37,38, 39, 40, 41, 49)
19. Mercury rapidly depletes the immune system.(27,34,35,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,60)
20. Mercury will induce a number of Auto Immune Diseases.(27,34,35,42,43,44,60)
21. Mercury will cause an increase in number and severity of allergies.(1,34,60)
22. Mercury from amalgam is stored principally in the kidneys, liver and brain. (1,20,31)
23. Mercury from amalgam (shown in animal experiments) causes kidney damage.(59)
24. Mercury from will cause a 50% reduction in Kidney filtration as shown in a study of sheep after amalgam placement.(59)
25. Methyl Mercury is more toxic than elemental Mercury.
26. Mercury from amalgam is methylated in the mouth.(51,53,54,)
27. After chewing, Mercury Vapour levels will remain raised for at least another 90 minutes. (1,15,16,18,47)
28. Mercury from amalgam will migrate through the tooth.(25,27,30)
29. This rate of migration is increased if a gold crown is placed over a tooth filled with amalgam. (27,30)
30. Teeth are living tissue and are a part of our bodies.
31. Teeth have a massive communication via blood, lymph and nerves with the rest of the body.(34)
32. Mercury from amalgam is absorbed into the body at a rate of 3 to 17 mcg / day. ( WHO 1991 Criteria 118)
33. Mercury release is increased by; increases in temperature, friction & increase in electrical currents.(28,31,56)
34. Mercury from amalgam will enter the body as;
Elemental Mercury, Inorganic Mercury, Vapour, charged Mercury ions.
35. In the Brain, Mercury from amalgam is stored preferentially in the Pituitary Gland and Hypothalamus. (20,34)
36. Micro-Mercurialism is principally characterised by Neurological symptoms.(34)
37. Mercury is transported along the axons of nerve fibres.(33,34,50)
38. Mercury from amalgam may be stored in every other cell in the body. Each area affected will produce its own set of symptoms.
39. Mercury binds to haemoglobin in the red blood cell thus reducing oxygen carrying capacity.(1,16,17,21,26,35)
40. Mercury damages blood vessel reducing blood supply to the tissues (micro-angiopathies).(34)
41. Amalgam fillings produce electrical currents which might be injurious to health. These currents are measurable in Micro Amps. The Central Nervous System (Brain) operates in the range of Nano-Amps this is One Thousand times less than a Micro Amp.(28)
41A. Dissimilar metals in the mouth [eg Gold & Amalgam] will produce higher electrical currents.(19,30)
42. Mercury from amalgam (shown in animal experiments) will induce Antibiotic Resistance and Mercury resistance in bacteria in the mouth and Gastrointestinal tract.(58)
43. Brain levels of mercury are in a direct linear proportion to the number of Surfaces of amalgam fillings in the mouth.(1,19,25)
43A? The level of Mercury, in brain tissue of foetus's, new born, and young children, is proportional to the number of amalgams in the mother's mouth.(61)
44. Mercury will cause single strand breaks in DNA.(41,42)
45. Mercury levels in the body can not be assessed by either blood or urine levels. (26)
46. Mercury from amalgam fillings is the single
greatest source of dietary mercury for the general population. (W.H.O. Criteria 118., 1991).
47. Dental personnel are severely effected by exposure to mercury.
(3,13,49)


References

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43 Hansen K et al A survey of metal induced mutagenicity in vitro and in vivo J Amer Coll Toxicol ., 1984:3;381-430
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52 Bacterial Growth on Dental Restorative Materials in Mucosal Contact. Orstavic, Arneberg, Valderhaug Acta Odontol. Scand.1981, 39:267-274
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Dr P Sheridan, Masters Thesis, University of Sydney 1991
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57 Campbel & M. Godfrey Research into provocation testing of DMPS - urine samples of Mercury.
58 Summers AO, Wireman J., Vimy MJ., lORSCHEIDER FLy., MARSHAL B., EVY SB., Bennet S., Billard L. J. Of Anti-microbial Agents and Chemotherapy 37[4]:825-34 April 1993
59 BOYD, N. D., H. BENEDIKTSSON, M. J. VIMY, D. E. HOOPER, AND F. L. LORSCHEIDER. Mercury from dental "Silver" tooth fillings impairs sheep kidney function. Am. J. Physiol. 261 (Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol. 30): R1010-R1014, 1991.--
60 Vera Stejskal, Sweden "MEMORY LYMPHOCYTE IMMUNO- STIMULATION ASSAY - MLISA"
61 Dr Gustav Drasch, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Munich. Public announcement 25 January 1994 Bio Probe March 1994
62 Dr W. Kostler., President of the Austrian Oncology Society. Paper presented at the World Congress on Cancer. April 1994 Sydney Australia.
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65 In vivo mercury and methyl mercury levels in patients at different intervals after amalgam restorations. Fung-YK; Molvar-MP; Strom-A; Schneider-NR; Carlson-MP College of Dentistry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Lincoln. Northwest-Dent. 1991 May-Jun; 70(3): 23-6
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67 A search for longitudinal variations in trace element levels in nails of Alzheimer's disease patients.
Vance DE Ehmann WD Markesbery WR In: Biol Trace Elem Res (1990 Jul-Dec) 26-27:461-70


Authorised by the Australasian Society of Oral Medicine and Toxicology. Phone +64 2 867-1111

Mercury is Poisonous.

There is NO safe form of Mercury in living tissue.

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