Mercury fillings pose health threat to workers
While literally millions of us are walking around with mercury amalgam fillings in our mouths, most of us are unaware they could pose a serious health threat. But Mark Breiner, DDS, a practicing dentist in Orange, CT, is trying to change all that, and he wants occupational health professionals to sit up and take notice. "The mercury in your employees’ mouths can affect their day-to-day activities, how well they can concentrate at work, and how well they can perform and get job the done," says Breiner. "Millions of people have these fillings; there could be even 200 million Americans who have at least one mercury filling."
There have been numerous studies showing that mercury causes increased incidences of depression, and affects memory and concentration, notes Breiner, who spells out his concerns in his book, Whole-Body Dentistry.1 (See suggested reading list, below.)
| Recommended reading | |
| • | Eggleston, Nylander. Correlation of dental amalgam with mercury in brain tissue. J Prosthet Dent 1987; 58:704-707. |
| • | Lorscheider, et al. Toxicity or ionic mercury and elemental mercury vapor on brain neuronal protein metabolism. Presented at the 12th Annual Neurotoxicology Conference. Hot Springs, AK; November 1994. |
| • | Danscher, et al. Traces of mercury in organs from primates with amalgam fillings. Exp Mol Pathol 1990; 52:291-299. |
| • | Cognitive performance of children pre-natally exposed to Safe’ levels of methyl mercury. Environ Res 1998; 72:165-172. |
| • | Silberud R, et. al. Evidence that mercury from silver dental filling may be an etiological factor in multiple sclerosis. Sci Total Environ 1994; 142:191-205. |
| • | Hock C, Drasch G, Golombowski S, et al. Increased blood mercury levels in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. J Neural Transm 1998; 105:59-68. |
| • | Ehmann WD, Markesbery WR, Alauddin M, et al. Brain trace elements in Alzheimer’s disease. Neurotoxicology 1986; 7(1):195-206. |
| • | Boyd ND, Benediktsson H, Vimy MJ, Hooper DE, et al. Mercury from dental silver’ tooth fillings impairs kidney function. Am J Physiol 1991; 261:1,010-1,014. |
"People can’t think as clearly; they tend to be depressed and have mood swings. It clearly affects how they work," Breiner emphasizes. But while mercury has been linked to diseases as dramatic as Alzheimer’s, not all of its effects are so readily apparent. "Anybody who has an amalgam filling is going to have a negative impact at some point," he explains. "They may not be at the point where they manifest symptoms overtly; the effects may be at the cellular level. We have great compensatory mechanisms and redundancies built in; our bodies can put up with a certain amount of insult."
Mercury fillings have been the subject of controversy for years, Breiner notes in his book. When the process was first introduced in the United States in 1833, many dentists were concerned such a highly toxic substance was being introduced into patients’ mouths; in Germany, it was dubbed "Quacksilber," a play on the word "Quicksilver," often used to describe mercury. Proponents insisted it was safe, however, because it was stabilized in the amalgam compound.
Controversy erupted again in the 1930s when a German physician showed that mercury escaped from fillings in the form of dangerous vapor. Interestingly, notes Breiner, while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved mercury and alloy powder for dental use, the amalgam mixture never has been approved as a dental device.
In 1986, when the third controversy arose, the American Dental Association (ADA) in Chicago conceded that mercury vapor does escape from an amalgam filling, but still insisted that mercury in the mouth is safe. "But mercury in the mouth is not safe," writes Breiner. "Mercury is unquestionably a toxic substance, and it does indeed escape from amalgam fillings, continuously vaporizing in amounts that are frequently in the hazardous range."
Breiner notes that a four-foot fluorescent bulb, which should be disposed of as hazardous waste, has approximately 22 mg of mercury, while the average dental amalgam filling contains about 1,000 mg of mercury.
Why does the ADA continue to support mercury fillings? "I really don’t know," says Breiner. "In my opinion, they’ve lied for so long [that] they can’t retreat any longer. But lawsuits are going to eventually surface that will make the tobacco issue look like kid’s play. Among health care professionals, dentists have the highest suicide rate, and that’s due to exposure to mercury vapor."
Difficult to recognize
Unfortunately, there aren’t two or three key signs and symptoms that would indicate to an occupational health professional that a worker might be suffering from mercury poisoning. However, says Breiner, when many are seen in combination, this should arouse suspicion. Early symptoms include:
- fatigue;
- headache;
- forgetfulness;
- inability to concentrate;
- apathy;
- depression;
- outbursts of anger;
- decline of intellect.
Later problems can include:
- numbness and tingling of hands, feet, and lips;
- muscle weakness progressing to paralysis;
- dim or restricted vision;
- hearing difficulty;
- speech disorders;
- loss of memory;
- lack of coordination;
- emotional instability;
- dermatitis;
- renal damage;
- general central nervous system dysfunction.
"Mercury can cause almost all of these symptoms," says Breiner. "I have a health form that lists most of them, and very often we will see patients who have a multiplicity of symptoms. When several of them are checked off, especially symptoms that are irritating but do not overtly compromise quality of life, you have a pretty good clue." Breiner warns, however, that health care professionals should not wait until more dire symptoms appear. "My personal opinion is that no one should have mercury in their mouths," he says.
There is a technique for removal of mercury fillings, says Breiner, but this must be approached with great care. "You don’t want to injudiciously remove the fillings, because that might make the worker sick [from vapor exposure]. There are specific things that must be done prior to, during, and post-removal." It’s important, therefore, to conduct careful research to find dental professionals who are certified to perform such removal. One resource is the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology in Orlando, FL, (www.iaomt.org) a certifying organization.
When mercury fillings are removed, they can be replaced with superior materials such as plastic glass, used in a process commonly known as "bonding." This material actually strengthens the tooth, says Breiner, while amalgam weakens it. "Ideally, blood testing should be done for compatibility, to find which materials are least offensive to your immune system," he advises.
The bottom line, says Breiner, is that employees should think twice about the mercury in their mouths. "Mercury is the most toxic natural substance known to man, next to plutonium," notes Breiner. "Why would anyone willingly keep poison in their mouth?"
[For more information, contact: Mark A. Breiner, DDS, 325 Post Road, Suite 3A, Orange, CT 06477. Telephone: (203) 799-6353. Fax: (203) 795-2749.]
Reference
1. Breiner MA. Whole-Body Dentistry. Fairfield, CT: Quantum Health Press, LLC; 1999.
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