Mercury Toxicity

MERCURY TOXICITY FROM AMALGAM FILLINGS ______________________________________
PREFACE
Hal A. Huggins, D.D.S., M.S., is one off the foremost leaders of amalgam removal in the U.S. His concern over amalgam toxicity and its health risks began in the early 1970's. In 1973 he stopped placing amalgam in his patient's teeth. Since that time he has dedicated his time to research and gathering information concerning the dangers of dental amalgam. Huggin's research center, the Huggins Diagnostic Center, located in Colorado Springs, CO, offers state of the art facilities for patient safety and comfort. Dr. Huggins has been instrumental in making a very controversial subject more credible. MERCURY TOXICITY FROM AMALGAM FILLINGS ______________________________________ The use of amalgam to fill teeth has been used since the early 1800's. Gold was the filling of choice, but was very expensive. The amalgam filling was cheaper, easier and faster. By 1899, amalgam or silver fillings had become, for the most part, perfected and dentists in Europe and the United States were using this method. However, some U.S. dentists were concerned about the toxicity of one of the components in amalgam. That component was mercury. Mercury has been on the planet for a very long time. The Phoenicians used it for a red dye. The Romans also used it as a dye, but were cautious with its use. Mercury has been found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 1500 B.C. According to the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, this work notes: Mercury in all forms is a virulent poison and is readily absorbed through the respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal tract or through skin contact. It acts as a cumulative poison since only small amounts of the element can be eliminated at a time by the human organism. Since mercury is a very volatile element, dangerous levels are readily attained in the air. Air saturated with mercury vapor at 20 degrees centigrade contains a concentration that exceeds the toxic limits many times. It is therefore imperative that mercury be handled with care. Methyl mercury is a dangerous pollutant. Just what is amalgam? Amalgam, which is the primary tooth filling material used worldwide, is comprised of component metals which include silver, copper, tin, zinc, mercury, palladium, platinum, gold, cobalt, chromium, beryllum, iron, aluminum and cadium. Each of these metals is known to have some adverse effect on the human system. However, mercury is the most toxic and poisonous and comprises 52% of an amalgam filling. Copper, tin, silver, zinc and mercury are monitored by Federal Regulatory Agencies, who have been given the responsibility of protecting the public from exposures to hazardous substances. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies amalgam as a hazardous material. Since amalgam is considered a hazardous material, it and the EPA are governed by the Superfund Law. It is interesting to note that certain diseases were recognized around the same time that amalgam was first introduced. Amalgam first came to the United States in 1825, to England in 1819, and to Paris in 1826. The following diseases that became recognized at that time were: Nephritis - 1827 Hodgkin's - 1832 Leukemia- 1845 Addison's - 1849 Banti's - 1881 Anorexia nervosa - 1888 Sickle cell anemia - 1910 Chronic monocytic leukemia - 1913. While this is only a partial list, all the diseases have an unclear or unknown etiology. One thing they all have in common is the common symptoms associated with chronic heavy metal poisoning. The American Dental Association (ADA) cautions dentists to use a "no touch" technique while working with amalgam. The rationale is that mercury, from amalgam, emits mercury fumes and contaminates through the skin. The Council on Dental Materials and Devices of the ADA warns of "severe hazards of vapor coming from scrap amalgam." Here are ten of fifteen recommendations from the ADA for dentists handling scrap amalgam: 1. Store mercury in unbreakable, tightly sealed containers. 2. Clean-up any spilled mercury immediately. 3. Use tightly closed capsules while it is being mixed. 4. Use a no-touch technique for handling the amalgam. 5. Salvage all scrap amalgam and store in sealed containers under water. 6. Work in well ventilated areas. 7. Avoid heating amalgam or mercury. 8. Perform yearly mercury determinations on all personnel regularly employed in dental offices. 9. Use water spray and suction when grinding dental amalgam. 10. Alert all personnel involved in the handling of mercury,... the potential hazard of mercury vapor and the necessity for observing good mercury hygiene practices. In 1989 disposal scrap amalgam consisted of either selling to scrap dealers or flushing it down the drain. How much mercury exposure is safe? The World Health Organization exposure limit for metallic mercury vapor is 25 micrograms per cubic meter of air in order to prevent neurological symptoms of the Central Nervous System. Neurological signs do not seem to occur at levels below 10 micrograms per cubic meter. The ceiling level of mercury exposure from all sources has been established at 42.9 micrograms. Mercury exposure from 20 average amalgams is 25.74 micrograms per day. Mercury vapor levels as high as 88 and 150 micrograms per cubic meter of air have been recorded following chewing. Chemical reactions occur when the metals are being mixed. Mercury diffuses into the metallic alloy particles, reacting with silver and tin. A number of setting phases occur next, thus changing the potency of some of the compounds. Depending on the "mix", a filling may be stronger, weaker, more expansive, less expansive and/or be prone to tarnishing. Once the tooth has been prepared for the filling and the filling put in the tooth, mercury begins to pass into the body. Higher concentrations of mercury are found around the margins, or edges, of the filling. Teeth are usually overfilled and then carved down to eliminate the excess amalgam. Mercury usually escapes from a filling, combines with carbon-hydrogen compounds to become methyl mercury. Methyl mercury is 100 times more toxic than plain, elemental mercury. In this methyl form, it becomes especially toxic to the brain and nerve tissue, the immune system, to gastrointestinal function and to the mechanism that triggers allergies. Inhalation of methyl mercury goes directly to the lungs where most all of it is immediately absorbed into the alveolar tissue and blood stream. What methyl mercury is not directly absorbed by the alveolar system, is accumulating rapidly in the brain. Mercury compounds have the potential to invade enzymes, disrupt the cell membranes, damage structural proteins and also effect the genetic codes in nucleic acids. Mercury has far reaching effects in the body, from the structure of the cell, to the interstitial fluid between the cells, and finally, to the organs themselves. Because mercury inhibits cells and the cell's metabolism in many ways, it is difficult and lengthy to describe the process. The kidneys are prone to renal failure, particularly in males, due to mercury toxicity. One explanation for renal failure overall, is due to mercury's toxic effect on mitochondrial function. Mercury impacts most severely on neural tissue. The Central Nervous System is very susceptible to methyl mercury. Certain amino acids, like methionine actually accelerate the transport of metals across the blood-brain barrier. Methyl mercury is believed to enter the brain as an amino acid. In this form it can penetrate cells and interferes with protein synthesis within the ribosomes. When the Minimata Bay in Japan was poisoned with mercury back in 1960, severe encephalopathies, fatalities, birth defects and permanent birth defects were just some of the main health effects noticed after the spill. It is important to remember that all organ processes and functions rely on the nervous system for their own functional integrity, which in turn is vital to homeostasis and total body health in general. Autopsies were performed on cadavers in the U.S. and Germany to determine if there was a direct relationship between the number of amalgams and mercury in the brain. Of the eighty-three cadavers studied, all demonstrated a positive correlation to the number of amalgams and mercury levels. Mercury was encountered in the occipital lobes of the cerebral cortex, a three times greater mean accumulation in the white matter and a thirty-five percent higher level of accumulation in the gray matter. Further study of these brains clearly demonstrated a disturbance in development. It is known that elemental and methyl mercury crosses the placental barrier to the fetus. Methyl mercury swiftly crosses this barrier to accumulate in fetal tissue and blood. Red blood cells are thirty percent higher in the fetus than in the mother. The fetus is four to ten times more sensitive to methyl mercury than an adult. The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1982 notes that, "... a significant association was found between previous stillbirths and mercury levels in both maternal and cord blood. Previous malformed infants significantly correlated with prenatal background mercury levels." Infants' blood mercury levels were higher than their mother's the first four months after birth. Since infants excrete mercury less rapidly than adults there has been evidence of both motor and intellectual retardation. Not only does mercury pass through the placental barrier, but is also found in breast milk. Methyl mercury is so readily absorbed in the lungs, the GI tract and through the jaw bone from the mother to the fetus that levels remain elevated in the mother and the fetus for as long as 140 days after exposure. A neurotoxicology report from 1986 indicates that severe human fetal methyl mercury poisoning may be lethal, but that lesser degrees of poisoning may lead to some form of cerebral palsy accompanied by mental retardation. There is a correlation between exposure to methyl mercury during the third trimester of pregnancy and cerebral palsy developing during that time. Fillings give off positive and negative electrical charges. This electrical current is generated in the metallic fillings in the mouth, with assistance from the saliva. The higher the electrical current, the more rapidly chemical reactions are taking place and the more mercury is coming out of the fillings. Negative electrical current in fillings is very serious. Clinical observations show that people with severe cases of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), epilepsy or emotional diseases have many negative current fillings. When negative current fillings are removed first, this stimulates chemical, electrochemical and hormonal actions that probably have been inactive for years. Upon removal of the negatively charged fillings, patients improved up to 80%. Measurable changes occur in white blood cells (WBC) when negative filling are removed first. The normal range for WBC's is between 5000 to 10,000. People with amalgams have counts well over 13,000. A doctor, diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, had a white cell count of 235,000. After the removal of a total of 21 amalgams, there was a 60,000 count drop in his white cells within 40 hours. There is a great deal of controversy in the dental community concerning the use and safety of amalgam. The ADA stills proclaims amalgam's safety, even though they have been presented with mounting evidence and documented case histories of amalgam's toxicity and adverse health effects. There is also mixed emotions within the dental community. Most dentists still strongly believe amalgam fillings are completely safe and pose no health threats. Other dentists are not so sure, but afraid to "break rank" for fear of reprisals. Yet there are some dentists, such as Hal A. Huggins in Colorado Springs, CO, who know that amalgams pose severe health risks, not only to their patients, but themselves. These dentists are taking huge risks by "breaking rank" and placing biocompatible composite fillings in their patient's teeth. Because of this step, these dentists are making tremendous differences not only in their own health, but in the health of their patients. REFERENCES Huggins, D.D.S., M.S., Hal, Medical and Legal Implications of Components of Dental Materials, Colorado Springs, 1989. ----------- It's All In Your Head, Life Sciences Press, 4th Edition, 1990. ----------- An Annotated Bibliography On Mercury's Effects On Human and Animal Biological Systems, Colorado Springs, 10-15-90. ----------- The "Doc" Manual - Selected Articles Supporting The Anti-Amalgam Position, Colorado Springs, 10-89. ----------- Mercury In My Molars, Colorado Springs, 11-15-89. Tortora, Gerard J. and Anagnostakos, Nicholas P., Principals of Anatomy and Physiology, New York, 1990. Kapit, Wynn and Elson, Lawrence M., The Anatomy Coloring Book, New York, 1977.