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“Mercury is toxic to the kidney, and dental amalgam is a source of mercury exposure. Few studies have evaluated the effects of dental amalgam on kidney function in a longitudinal context in children. Here, we evaluated urinary concentrations of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) alpha and pi as biomarkers of renal proximal and distal tubular integrity, respectively, and albumin as a biomarker of glomerular integrity in children and adolescents 8-18 years of age over a 7-year course of dental amalgam treatment. Five hundred seven children, 8-12 years of age at baseline, participated in a clinical trial to evaluate the neurobehavioral and renal effects of dental amalgam in children. Subjects were randomized to either dental amalgam or resin composite treatments. Urinary GSTs alpha and pi, albumin, and creatinine concentrations were measured at baseline and annually in all subjects. Results were evaluated using linear regression analysis. GST-alpha concentrations were similar between treatment groups and in each sex and race (white vs. non-white) group in each follow-up year. GST-pi levels tended upward over the course of follow-up by four- to six-fold. This increase was seen in all groups irrespective of the treatment, race, or gender. Females had GST-pi levels approximately twice those of males at all ages. Albumin concentrations were constant throughout the follow-up period and did not differ by treatment, although females had 39% higher albumin levels than males. Additionally, we found no significant effects of amalgam treatment on the proportion of children with microalbuminuria (>30 mg/g creatinine). These findings are relevant within the context of children’s health risk assessment as relates to the safety of mercury exposure from dental amalgam on kidney function. These data also provide normative values for sensitive indices of renal functional integrity that may serve in the evaluation of children and adolescents with renal disorders.”

“There is a long running debate about whether or not dental amalgams represent a serious health hazard because of the mercury they contain. A scientific opinion produced for the European Commission has recommended a solution to the conundrum and provides some lessons for other medical device related causation issues.”

“A superantigen or autoimmunity has been hypothesized to be the main cause of the Kawasaki’s Disease but the etiology is unknown. Medical literature, epidemiological findings, and some case reports have suggested that mercury may play a pathogenic role. Several patients with Kawasaki’s Disease have presented with elevated urine mercury levels compared to matched controls. Most symptoms and diagnostic criteria which are seen in children with acrodynia, known to be caused by mercury, are similar to those seen in Kawasaki’s Disease. Genetic depletion of glutathione S-transferase , a susceptibility marker for Kawasaki’s Disease, is known to be also a risk factor for acrodynia and may also increase susceptibility to mercury . Coinciding with the largest increase (1985-1990) of thimerosal (49.6% ethyl mercury) in vaccines, routinely given to infants in the U.S. by 6 months of age (from 75microg to 187.5microg), the rates of Kawasaki’s Disease increased ten times, and, later (1985-1997), by 20 times. Since 1990 88 cases of patients developing Kawasaki’s Disease some days after vaccination have been reported to the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) including 19% manifesting symptoms the same day. The presented pathogenetic model may lead to new preventive- and therapeutic strategies for Kawasaki’s disease.”

“INTRODUCTION:

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is an uncommon and potentially serious mucocutaneous disease. The most important step in the management of SJS is early recognition and immediate withdrawal of the causative agent. We present a patient with SJS associated with dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonate (DMPS) therapy.

CASE REPORT:

An asymptomatic 11-year old boy who had been exposed chronically to mercury vapour had a 24-hour urine mercury concentration of 37 microgram/L (reference value <10 microgram/L). Exposure to the mercury vapour was stopped and treatment with oral DMPS was begun. After two weeks of therapy, he developed a disseminated cutaneous eruption of red pruritic macules on his chest and back, which three days later had spread all over his body with the discrete maculae becoming confluent; erosions and crusts developed on his lips and he had blisters in his mouth. The diagnosis of SJS was made, the DMPS was stopped, and the SJS resolved gradually.

DISCUSSION:

Chelation agents like DMPS or DMSA are increasingly used and are available over the counter in some countries. These drugs are used in patients with complaints that are attributed to mercury-containing dental amalgams and in children with autism.

CONCLUSION:

The reported association suggests that SJS may be a potential complication of DMPS therapy, and this should be considered in the risk-benefit analysis of chelation.”

“For more than a decade the I.A.O.M.T. has been concerned with the environmental impact of dental amalgam mercury because of its extreme toxicity. Environmental scientists label it a ‘Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxin’ (PBT), and as such it is important to reduce it from the environment by eliminating its source, wherever possible.”

“BACKGROUND:
Many formulations of Thimerosal (49.55% mercury by weight)-containing Rho(D) immune globulins (TCRs) were routinely administered to Rh-negative mothers in the US prior to 2002.

OBJECTIVES:
It was hypothesized: (1) if prenatal Rho(D)-immune globulin preparation exposure was a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs) then more children with NDs would have Rh-negative mothers compared to controls; and (2) if Thimerosal in the Rho(D)-immune globulin preparations was the ingredient associated with NDs, following the removal of Thimerosal from all manufactured Rho(D)-immune globulin preparations from 2002 in the US the frequency of maternal Rh-negativity among children with NDs should be similar to control populations.

METHODS:
Maternal Rh-negativity was assessed at two sites (Clinic A-Lynchburg, VA; Clinic B-Rockville and Baltimore, MD) among 298 Caucasian children with NDs and known Rh-status. As controls, maternal Rh-negativity frequency was determined from 124 Caucasian children (born 1987-2001) without NDs at Clinic A, and the Rh-negativity frequency was determined from 1,021 Caucasian pregnant mothers that presented for prenatal genetic care at Clinic B (1980-1989). Additionally, 22 Caucasian patients with NDs born from 2002 onwards (Clinics A and B) were assessed for maternal Rh-negativity.

RESULTS:
There were significant and comparable increases in maternal Rh-negativity among children with NDs (Clinic: A=24.2%), autism spectrum disorders (Clinic: A=28.3%, B=25.3%), and attention-deficit-disorder/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder (Clinic: A=26.3%) observed at both clinics in comparison to both control groups (Clinic: A=12.1%, B=13.9%) employed. Children with NDs born post-2001 had a maternal Rh-negativity frequency (13.6%) similar to controls.

CONCLUSION:
This study associates TCR exposure with some NDs in children.”

“Mercury, as any other heavy metal, may cause environmental damages due to its accumulation and biotransformation. Dental offices, whether private or institutional, use dental amalgam as a restorative material on a daily basis. Dental amalgam is composed of mercury (50%), silver (30%) and other metals. Approximately 30% of the amalgam prepared in dental offices (0.6 g per capsule) are wasted and inadequately discarded without any treatment. Methods for mercury recovery have been proposed previously, using high temperatures through exposure to direct flame (650 degrees C), long processing time, and hazardous reagents as potassium cyanide. The purpose of this study was to develop a method to replace the direct flame by an electrical mantle in the process of mercury recovery. Results showed an average mercury recovery of 90% from 2 kg of amalgam after 30 minutes of processing time, thus optimizing the procedure. The proposed modifications allowed a significant reduction in processing time and a mercury recovery with high purity. The modified process also provided minimization of operator exposure to physical, chemical and ergonomic hazards, representing a technological advance compared to the risks inherent to the original method. It also provided environmental health and economy of energy resources by replacing a finite energy source (fossil and organic) by a more environmentally appropriate electric source, resulting in significant improvement of the procedure for mercury recovery from dental amalgam.”

“BACKGROUND:

Dental assistants help the dentist in preparing material for filling teeth. Amalgam was the filling material mostly commonly used in Norway before 1980, and declined to about 5% of all fillings in 2005. Amalgam is usually an alloy of silver, copper, tin and mercury. Copper amalgam, giving particularly high exposure to mercury was used in Norway until 1994. Metallic mercury is neurotoxic. Few studies of the health of dental assistants exist, despite their exposure to mercury. There are questions about the existence of possible chronic neurological symptoms today within this working group, due to this exposure. The aim of this study was to compare the occurrence of neurological symptoms among dental assistants likely to be exposed to mercury from work with dental filling material, compared to similar health personnel with no such exposure.

METHODS:

All dental assistants still at work and born before 1970 registered in the archives of a trade union in Hordaland county of Norway were invited to participate (response rate 68%, n = 41), as well as a similar number of randomly selected assistant nurses (response rate 87%, n = 64) in the same age group. The participants completed a self-administered, mailed questionnaire, with questions about demographic variables, life-style factors, musculoskeletal, neurological and psychosomatic symptoms (Euroquest).

RESULTS:

The dental assistants reported significant higher occurrence of neurological symptoms; psychosomatic symptoms, problems with memory, concentration, fatigue and sleep disturbance, but not for mood. This was found by analyses of variance, adjusting for age, education, alcohol consumption, smoking and personality traits. For each specific neurological symptom, adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed, showing that these symptoms were mainly from arms, hands, legs and balance organs.

CONCLUSION:

There is a possibility that the higher occurrence of neurological symptoms among the dental assistants may be related to their previous work exposure to mercury amalgam fillings. This should be studied further to assess the clinical importance of the reported symptoms.”

It’s becoming increasing clear that the recent improvements in technology for the nonmercury filling—most commonly the “composite”—have rendered the mercury tooth filling— aka “amalgam”—obsolete. One only has to look at the recent bans on new amalgam placement in Norwegian or Swedish dental patients or elimination of insurance coverage for amalgam restorations in Danish patients to document mercury-free tooth restoratives as a viable substitute. Practically speaking, the age of amalgam is over. “So why do over 60 million mercury tooth fillings still get placed into Americans’ mouths every year? Is it because it is simply cheaper and quicker for your dentists to place an amalgam and they make more money doing so? Is it because, as the expression goes, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” and in some cases dentists are reluctant to change or take the time to master the new techniques for placement of composites? Or is it because the US dental sector, led by the American Dental Association and its state associations, remains in denial that mercury is a neurotoxin — a hazardous material before it is placed in the mouth, and a hazard that releases toxic vapors after it is in the mouth? And could concerns about potential legal liability reinforce this denial? Or finally, is it because dentists are not aware or held accountable to the fact—undisputed by the US EPA since it was presented to the US House subcommittee last fall– that the continued use of amalgam is resulting in the release of upwards of 10 tons—and growing— of mercury into the air and water each year in the U.S. And that at least some of that mercury gets taken up in the fish Americans eat and, in particular, poses the most acute risk to pregnant women and their developing fetus and young children?”