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[log in to unmask] ----- Original Message ----- From: [log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask] ; [log in to unmask] Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2001 1:04 PM Subject: Very interesting . . . Are "Silver" Dental Fillings Safe? By Francesca Lyman Anyone who has ever had a tooth cavity has probably seen a dentist who drilled it and packed it with a "silver" filling. But how many patients know what's in that silver? And whether it could have consequences for your health? Could silver dental fillings be causing, or contributing to, health problems? Holistic health advocates, environmentalists and a growing cadre of "mercury-free" dentists fear amalgams emit dangerous levels of mercury, stirring up a health controversy that goes back 150 years. Scientists agree that when absorbed in high enough doses, mercury, in all its chemical forms, can damage the brain, nervous system, kidneys and other organs, especially in infants and children. But they differ on not only how much mercury must be absorbed to cause adverse health effects, but also just how much of the amalgam's mercury is absorbed by the human body to begin with. Dental associations pooh-pooh alleged dangers. The ADA considers it "a safe, affordable and durable material" that has been used for "more than 150 years and during that time has established an extensively reviewed record of safety and effectiveness." ADA quotes the U.S. Public Health Service's 1993 report stating that amalgam has no health consequences other than for a small percentage of people who might be allergic to the metals. Others, however, like Boyd Haley, a chemist at the University of Kentucky, argue that it is harmful to more than just sensitive populations. Most people with amalgam fillings get an unsafe dose of the heavy metal because mercury vapor leaks continually from the fillings, says Haley, who recently testified before Congress on mercury exposure in children. Consumer groups argue, meanwhile, that dental patients ought to be told about what's going into their mouths. In June, a coalition of citizens' health and environmental groups filed suit against the American Dental Association for allegedly deceiving consumers into thinking amalgam fillings are made of silver, when in fact the major component (about 50 percent, according to the suit) is mercury. They also claim that the ADA has failed to disclose information regarding the significant risk of harm associated with the fillings in order to promote the continued use of amalgams, a product in which it has a financial stake as a paid endorser. "If mercury is so safe, why do they try to hide it?" says Charlie Brown, one of the lawyers representing Consumers for Dental Choice (CDC), a plaintiff in the suit. Brown notes that CDC has already succeeded in winning a state ruling that requires the California state dental board to advise participating dentists to tell their patients about the mercury content of amalgam fillings as well as discuss with them any sensitivities and the potential for adverse reactions, including suspected links to birth defects. Although mercury has been known to be poisonous since ancient times, dentistry associations claim that the mercury is tightly bound with other metals, rendering it safe. Silver fillings usually contain a mix of silver, tin and copper as well as zinc and other metals, according to the Journal of the American Dental Association. Mercury is essential to make the amalgam harden and adhere, says ADA spokesman J. Rodney Mackert, professor of dentistry at the Medical College of Georgia and an expert in materials science. Tracking Mercury's Vapors It wasn't commonly known that amalgam released mercury vapor until recently, although the issue was raised more than a century ago. In 1985, Fritz Lorscheider, a fetal physiologist, and Canadian dentist Murray Vimy showed that mercury in amalgam continuously vaporizes; measuring mercury in the mouths of 46 people, they also found that the amount of vapor released from fillings rose when the subjects chewed gum or brushed their teeth. In 1990, the same scientists reported that studies on sheep using radioactively tagged mercury revealed that the highly volatile and unpredictable element travels to the gastrointestinal tract, kidney, liver and brain. "Whether those [latter] studies are applicable to humans is a matter of serious importance to public health," says Dr. Norman Braveman, a research administrator at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), which has two studies underway on the subject. At issue, he says, is what dose of mercury a typical patient gets in the dentist's office, how much he is exposed to daily and potential health effects that might arise from this dose. And there isn't much agreement on any of those questions. "There's no question that mercury is not healthy for us," says Vasken Aposhian, a professor of cellular and molecular biology at the University of Arizona who has studied how mercury acts on the body. How many amalgams you have makes a big difference in terms of how much mercury your body's absorbing, he maintains. "Some people are hyper-sensitive to metals and can get very sick" from amounts that others can safely handle, he says. "Most are at risk from multiple exposures from fish, food and other sources." At a Congressional hearing on the use of mercury in medicine last year, Aposhian told legislators that Americans' greatest exposure to mercury is from fillings - a serious threat, he says, because it can cross the placenta and harm the developing nervous system of the fetus. ADA, however, maintains that the amount of mercury that vaporizes from the amalgam is trivial, and less significant than exposures in food, water and air. "Yes," acknowledges ADA's Mackert, "mercury is a poison," and amalgams vaporize, "something only recently discovered." But, he argues, "there is no convincing evidence that the small amount of mercury vapor from amalgams has any effect on humans." Further, says Mackert, repeating the mantra of the ADA, "there have been no studies conclusively linking mercury from dental amalgams with any diseases." But concerns about possible effects "can't be dismissed," as the U.S. Public Health Service noted. Studies show that people with more dental amalgam fillings have higher levels of mercury in their bodies. And researchers at the University of Calgary School of Medicine showed that mercury could be found in the blood and tissues of pregnant mothers and their fetuses within a few days after mercury fillings were placed. Mercury in dental fillings has been linked to other adverse health effects. Anne Summers, a microbiologist at the University of Georgia, for example, found that mercury from fillings can inhibit the effectiveness of antibiotics. Scientists at the Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation in Seattle linked exposure to mercury vapor from dental amalgam fillings to central nervous system toxicity among dental personnel. The Battelle team also found "convincing new evidence of adverse behavioral effects associated with mercury exposures from amalgam fillings within the range of that received by the general population." And researchers at the Colorado State University, Department of Physiology, in Fort Collins, Colo. have linked dental amalgam exposure to mental illness. Haley and other scientists, including Vimy and Lorscheider, found in experiments on rat brains that chronic inhalation of low-level mercury ã at levels that simulate exposure to amalagam fillings ã can inhibit brain chemistry, producing lesions similar to those in Alzheimer's diseased brains. Mercury inhibits the efficiency of tubulin, a protein vital to brain cells, they explain. 'Safe' For Human Use Despite such studies, though, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Public Health Service, and the World Health Organization have all concluded that amalgams are safe enough to use. There is "no solid evidence of any harm for millions of Americans who have these fillings," wrote the U.S. Public Health Service, and "no persuasive reason to believe that avoiding amalgams or having them removed will have a beneficial impact on health." By contrast, Canada recently restricted the number of amalgams that could be placed in children and pregnant women, following similar laws passed in Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom and other countries. But having produced its new guidelines, the U.K. government then qualified that it had no evidence that there was a risk from amalgam, complicating the issue even further. While the battle for reliable science rages, many dentists are switching away from mercury. A 1995 survey of dentists found 8.7 percent wanting to ban amalgam and 12.3 percent uncertain about its safety, according to a report published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association. Discussion Board Remembering how he had to dispose of his scrap amalgam as hazardous waste, he says, "It's OK to place these in people's mouths yet it's considered hazardous when you take it out. Go figure that one out." Looking To The Future Given amalgam's long track record, however, the government is hesitant to ban it without greater evidence of harm to human health. "If we ban this material," said NIDCR's Braveman, "what are our alternatives, and will they do the job as well?" For now, he says, two government-funded studies are tracking 1,000 children -- half with mercury amalgams, half with alternative materials -- for such traits as behavior, intelligence, antibiotic resistance, immune function and memory. The results, he says, will be available in about four years. In the meantime, if you're concerned that you have a great many mercury fillings, Bronte suggests checking yourself for symptoms of mercury toxicity and having your fillings replaced with non-toxic materials. "If your regular dentist really isn't familiar with these materials, you are better off finding a dentist who is familiar with them," advises Bronte, who went on to write "The Mercury in Your Mouth" after her health improved. As more patients find out what's in mercury fillings, adds advocate Brown, "more dentists will make it their business to know about the alternatives." MSNBC July 11, 2001 DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT: Any long-time reader of this newsletter will be familiar with the mercury issue. It is interesting to note that the traditional media such as MSNBC is actually carrying these types of stories. Yes folks, it is quite clear - the writing is on the wall. The ADA can't possibly keep up this charade for much longer. The cat is out of the bag, with people finally understand that mercury is a poison and when it is placed in their teeth it does escape into their body, quite contrary to what the ADA has been stating for many years. It may be that litigation is the force that will be used to finally turn this issue around. Related Articles: Dental Groups Sued Over Mercury in Fillings Leading Mercury Scientist, Dr. Haley, Refutes ADA in Congressional Testimony ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn