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Significant mercury deposits in internal organs following the
removal of dental amalgam, & development of pre-cancer on the
gingiva and the sides of the tongue and their represented organs as
a result of inadvertent exposure to strong curing light (used to
solidify synthetic dental filling material) & effective treatment: a
clinical case report, along with organ representation areas for each
tooth.Acupunct
Electrother Res. 1996 Apr-Jun;21(2):133-60.
Because of the
reduced effectiveness of antibiotics against bacteria (e.g.
Chlamydia trachomatis, alpha-Streptococcus, Borrelia burgdorferi,
etc.) and viruses (e.g. Herpes Family Viruses) in the presence of
mercury, as well as the fact that the 1st author has found that
mercury exists in cancer and pre-cancer cell nuclei, the presence of
dental amalgam (which contains about 50% mercury) in the human mouth
is considered to be a potential hazard for the individual's health.
In order to solve this problem, 3 amalgam fillings were removed from
the teeth of the subject of this case study. In order to fill the
newly created empty spaces in the teeth where the amalgams had
formerly existed, a synthetic dental-filling substance was
introduced and to solidify the synthetic substance, curing light
(wavelength range reportedly between 400-520 nm) was radiated onto
the substance in order to accelerate the solidifying process by
photo-polymerization. In spite of considerable care not to inhale
mercury vapor or swallow minute particles of dental amalgam during
the process of removing it by drilling, mercury entered the body of
the subject. Precautions such as the use of a rubber dam and strong
air suction, as well as frequent water suctioning and washing of the
mouth were insufficient. Significant deposits of mercury, previously
non-existent, were found in the lungs, kidneys, endocrine organs,
liver, and heart with abnormal low-voltage ECGs (similar to those
recorded 1-3 weeks after i.v. injection of radioisotope Thallium-201
for Cardiac SPECT) in all the limb leads and V1 (but almost normal
ECGs in the precordial leads V2-V6) the day after the procedures
were performed. Enhanced mercury evaporation by increased
temperature and microscopic amalgam particles created by drilling
may have contributed to mercury entering the lungs and G.I. system
and then the blood circulation, creating abnormal deposits of
mercury in the organs named above. Such mercury contamination may
then contribute to intractable infections or pre-cancer. However,
these mercury deposits, which commonly occur in such cases, were
successfully eliminated by the oral intake of 100 mg tablet of
Chinese parsley (Cilantro) 4 times a day (for average weight adults)
with a number of drug-uptake enhancement methods developed by the
1st author, including different stimulation methods on the accurate
organ representation areas of the hands (which have been mapped
using the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test), without injections of chelating
agents. Ingestion of Chinese parsley, accompanied by drug-uptake
enhancement methods, was initiated before the amalgam removal
procedure and continued for about 2 to 3 weeks afterwards, and ECGs
became almost normal. During the use of strong bluish curing light
to create a photo-polymerization reaction to solidify the synthetic
filling material, the adjacent gingiva and the side of the tongue
were inadvertently exposed. This exposure to the strong bluish light
was found to produce pre-cancerous conditions in the gingiva, the
exposed areas of the tongue, as well as in the corresponding organs
represented on those areas of the tongue, and abnormally increased
enzyme levels in the liver. These abnormalities were also
successfully reversed by the oral intake of a mixture of EPA with
DHA and Chinese parsley, augmented by one of the non-invasive
drug-uptake enhancement methods previously described by the 1st
author, repeated 4 times each day for 2 weeks.
Mercury
exposure and public health.Pediatr
Clin North Am. 2007 Apr;54(2):237-69.
Mercury is a
metal that is a liquid at room temperature. Mercury has a long and
interesting history deriving from its use in medicine and industry,
with the resultant toxicity produced. In high enough doses, all
forms of mercury can produce toxicity. The most devastating
tragedies related to mercury toxicity in recent history include
Minamata Bay and Niagata, Japan in the 1950s, and Iraq in the 1970s.
More recent mercury toxicity issues include the extreme toxicity of
the dimethylmercury compound noted in 1998, the possible toxicity
related to dental amalgams, and the disproved relationship between
vaccines and autism related to the presence of the
mercury-containing preservative, thimerosal.
A case
series of children with apparent mercury toxic encephalopathies
manifesting with clinical symptoms of regressive autistic disorders.J
Toxicol Environ Health A. 2007 May
15;70(10):837-51.
Impairments
in social relatedness and communication, repetitive behaviors, and
stereotypic abnormal movement patterns characterize autism spectrum
disorders (ASDs). It is clear that while genetic factors are
important to the pathogenesis of ASDs, mercury exposure can induce
immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioral dysfunctions
similar to traits defining or associated with ASDs. The
Institutional Review Board of the Institute for Chronic Illnesses
(Office for Human Research Protections, U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, IRB number IRB00005375) approved the present
study. A case series of nine patients who presented to the Genetic
Centers of America for a genetic/developmental evaluation are
discussed. Eight of nine patients (one patient was found to have an
ASD due to Rett's syndrome) (a) had regressive ASDs; (b) had
elevated levels of androgens; (c) excreted significant amounts of
mercury post chelation challenge; (d) had biochemical evidence of
decreased function in their glutathione pathways; (e) had no known
significant mercury exposure except from Thimerosal-containing
vaccines/Rho(D)-immune globulin preparations; and (f) had alternate
causes for their regressive ASDs ruled out. There was a significant
dose-response relationship between the severity of the regressive
ASDs observed and the total mercury dose children received from
Thimerosal-containing vaccines/Rho (D)-immune globulin preparations.
Based upon differential diagnoses, 8 of 9 patients examined were
exposed to significant mercury from Thimerosal-containing
biologic/vaccine preparations during their fetal/infant
developmental periods, and subsequently, between 12 and 24 mo of
age, these previously normally developing children suffered mercury
toxic encephalopathies that manifested with clinical symptoms
consistent with regressive ASDs. Evidence for mercury intoxication
should be considered in the differential diagnosis as contributing
to some regressive ASDs.
Mercury and
autism: accelerating evidence?Neuro
Endocrinol Lett. 2005;26(5):439-46.
The causes
of autism and neurodevelopmental disorders are unknown. Genetic and
environmental risk factors seem to be involved. Because of an
observed increase in autism in the last decades, which parallels
cumulative mercury exposure, it was proposed that autism may be in
part caused by mercury. We review the evidence for this proposal.
Several epidemiological studies failed to find a correlation between
mercury exposure through thimerosal, a preservative used in
vaccines, and the risk of autism. Recently, it was found that
autistic children had a higher mercury exposure during pregnancy due
to maternal dental amalgam and thimerosal-containing immunoglobulin
shots. It was hypothesized that children with autism have a
decreased detoxification capacity due to genetic polymorphism. In
vitro, mercury and thimerosal in levels found several days after
vaccination inhibit methionine synthetase (MS) by 50%. Normal
function of MS is crucial in biochemical steps necessary for brain
development, attention and production of glutathione, an important
antioxidative and detoxifying agent. Repetitive doses of thimerosal
leads to neurobehavioral deteriorations in autoimmune susceptible
mice, increased oxidative stress and decreased intracellular levels
of glutathione in vitro. Subsequently, autistic children have
significantly decreased level of reduced glutathione. Promising
treatments of autism involve detoxification of mercury, and
supplementation of deficient metabolites.
The
toxicology of mercury and its chemical compounds.Crit
Rev Toxicol. 2006 Sep;36(8):609-62.
This review
covers the toxicology of mercury and its compounds. Special
attention is paid to those forms of mercury of current public health
concern. Human exposure to the vapor of metallic mercury dates back
to antiquity but continues today in occupational settings and from
dental amalgam. Health risks from methylmercury in edible tissues of
fish have been the subject of several large epidemiological
investigations and continue to be the subject of intense debate.
Ethylmercury in the form of a preservative, thimerosal, added to
certain vaccines, is the most recent form of mercury that has become
a public health concern. The review leads to general discussion of
evolutionary aspects of mercury, protective and toxic mechanisms,
and ends on a note that mercury is still an "element of mystery."
Cases of
mercury exposure, bioavailability, and absorption.Ecotoxicol
Environ Saf. 2003 Sep;56(1):174-9.
Mercury is a
unique element that, unlike many metals, has no essential biological
function. It is liquid at room temperature and is 13.6 times heavier
than water. Its unique physical properties have been exploited for a
variety of uses such as in mercury switches, thermostats,
thermometers, and other instruments. Its ability to amalgamate with
gold and silver are used in mining these precious metals and as a
dental restorative. Its toxic properties have been exploited for
medications, preservatives, antiseptics, and pesticides. For these
reasons there have been many industrial uses of mercury, and
occupational exposures of workers and industrial emissions and
effluents contaminating air, water, soil, and ultimately food chains
have long been a matter of great public health concern. This paper
examines briefly six cases representing various forms of exposure to
different species of mercury, and indicates the methodological
issues in estimating exposure, bioavailability and absorption; these
cases include Minamata disease in Japan, organic mercury poisoning
in Iraq, methylmercury (MeHg) exposure in the Amazon,
dimethylmercury (PMM) in the laboratory, an elemental mercury spill
in Cajamarca, Peru, and a mercury-contaminated building in Hoboken,
NJ, USA. Other scenarios that are not described include occupational
exposure to mercury salts, mercurial preservatives in vaccines,
cultural and ritualistic uses of mercury, and mercury in dental
amalgams.
Mercury
exposure and early effects: an overview.Med
Lav. 2002 May-Jun;93(3):139-47.
OBJECTIVES:
This paper was given as a keynote address at the conference on The
Assessment of the Effects Due to Low Doses of Inorganic Mercury
following Environmental and Occupational Exposures: Human and in
vitro Studies on the Specific Mechanisms of Toxicity in Gargnano,
Italy, in September 2001. METHODS: The most relevant literature over
the past 40 years has been reviewed, and in particular, the
proceedings of the World Health Organisation conferences on the
health effects of inorganic and organic mercury exposure have been
considered. RESULTS: In an uncontaminated environment the general
population is exposed to mercury vapour from the atmosphere and from
dental amalgam, while the diet, mainly from fish, is the principal
source for methyl mercury absorption. Mercury vapour release from
amalgam fillings increases with chewing, with absorption and uptake
by the brain and kidneys. Infants exposed to phenyl mercury from
treated diapers and young children ingesting mercurous chloride in
teething powders have developed acrodynia (pink disease), and
Kawasaki disease and the use of mercurial skin lightening creams has
been followed by the development of the nephrotic syndrome. Both
mercury compounds and mercury vapour have given rise to contact
dermatitis in the general population. Epidemics of mercury poisoning
have followed release of mercury into the environment from
industrial activity, with uptake of methyl mercury from fish eating
in Minamata Bay and uptake of both inorganic and methyl mercury
following release of mercury vapour and deposition into waterways
from gold recovery procedures in the Amazon basin. The ingestion of
wheat and barley seed treated with an alkyl mercury fungicide for
sowing, by a largely illiterate population in Iraq, led to a major
outbreak of poisoning with a high fatality rate. Following exposure
to mercury vapour, the earliest clinically observed adverse effects
at urine mercury levels of the order of 30-100 mg/g creatinine, are
objectively detectable tremor, psychological disorder and impaired
nerve conduction velocity in sensitive subjects, with subjective
symptoms of irritability, fatigue and anorexia. At these and at
lower levels, proteinuria has also been observed. Both glomerular
and tubular damage may occur at exposure levels lower than those
giving rise to central nervous system effects. An immunological
effect has also been observed in studies on clinically asymptomatic
workers with low level exposure. CONCLUSIONS: As mercury can give
rise to allergic and immunotoxic reactions which may be genetically
regulated, in the absence of adequate dose-response studies for
immunologically sensitive individuals, it has not been possible to
set a level for mercury in blood or urine below which mercury
related symptoms will not occur.
Understanding the mercury reduction issue: the impact of mercury on
the environment and human health.
J Calif Dent Assoc. 2004
Jul;32(7):574-9.
Mercury has
been used in both medicine and dentistry for centuries. Recent media
attention regarding the increased levels of mercury in dietary fish,
high levels of mercury in air emissions, and conjecture that certain
diseases may be caused by mercury exposure has increased public
awareness of the potential adverse health effects of high doses of
mercury. Dentistry has been criticized for its continued use of
mercury in dental amalgam for both public health and environmental
reasons. To address these concerns, dental professionals should
understand the impact of the various levels and types of mercury on
the environment and human health. Mercury is unique in its ability
to form amalgams with other metals. Dental amalgam--consisting of
silver, copper, tin, and mercury--has been used as a safe, stable,
and cost-effective restorative material for more than 150 years. As
a result of this use, the dental profession has been confronted by
the public on two separate health issues concerning the mercury
content in amalgam. The first issue is whether the mercury
amalgamated with the various metals to create dental restorations
poses a health issue for patients. The second is whether the scraps
associated with amalgam placement and the removal of amalgam
restorations poses environmental hazards which may eventually have
an impact on human health. Despite the lack of scientific evidence
for such hazards, there is growing pressure for the dental
profession to address these health issues. In this article, the
toxicology of mercury will be reviewed and the impact of amalgam on
health and the environment will be examined.
Thimerosal
and autism? A plausible hypothesis that should not be dismissed.Med
Hypotheses. 2004;62(5):788-94.
The
autism-mercury hypothesis first described by Bernard et al. has
generated much interest and controversy. The Institute of Medicine
(IOM) reviewed the connection between mercury-containing vaccines
and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism. They concluded
that the hypothesis was biologically plausible but that there was
insufficient evidence to accept or reject a causal connection and
recommended a comprehensive research program. Without citing new
experimental evidence, a number of observers have offered opinions
on the subject, some of which reject the IOM's conclusions. In a
recent review, Nelson and Bauman argue that a link between the
preservative thimerosal, the source of the mercury in childhood
vaccines, is improbable. In their defense of thimerosal, these
authors take a narrow view of the original hypothesis, provide no
new evidence, and rely on selective citations and flawed reasoning.
We provide evidence here to refute the Nelson and Bauman critique
and to defend the autism-mercury hypothesis.
Mercury in
the environment: sources, toxicities, and prevention of exposure.Pediatr
Ann. 2004 Jul;33(7):437-42.
Acute and
chronic exposure to mercury can significantly affect the health of a
population, specifically the children. Methylmercury may pose the
highest threat, as it is ubiquitous in the environment and it is a
potent neurotoxicant. Methylmercury easily passes through the
placenta to the developing fetus. Elemental mercury, or quicksilver,
also poses a threat to children because it may be found readily in
schools, hospitals, and medicine cabinets, and its intriguing liquid
nature may be enticing to children. Pediatricians must be diligent
in informing patients of possible exposure sources, and alerting
them to new government advisories and recommendations. They should
also be knowledgeable regarding classic clinical presentations of
mercury toxicity. It is only in cases involving a knowledge of
mercury that appropriate historical information is obtained and
correct diagnoses are made. Preventing mercury exposure and
consequent toxicity is of importance because therapies are
controversial and long-term consequences may be significant.
Mercury
exposure in children: a review.Toxicol
Appl Pharmacol. 2004;198(2):209-30.
Exposure to
toxic mercury (Hg) is a growing health hazard throughout the world
today. Recent studies show that mercury exposure may occur in the
environment, and increasingly in occupational and domestic settings.
Children are particularly vulnerable to Hg intoxication, which may
lead to impairment of the developing central nervous system, as well
as pulmonary and nephrotic damage. Several sources of toxic Hg
exposure in children have been reported in biomedical literature:
(1) methylmercury, the most widespread source of Hg exposure, is
most commonly the result of consumption of contaminated foods,
primarily fish; (2) ethylmercury, which has been the subject of
recent scientific inquiry in relation to the controversial pediatric
vaccine preservative thimerosal; (3) elemental Hg vapor exposure
through accidents and occupational and ritualistic practices; (4)
inorganic Hg through the use of topical Hg-based skin creams and in
infant teething powders; (5) metallic Hg in dental amalgams, which
release Hg vapors, and Hg2+ in tissues. This review examines recent
epidemiological studies of methylmercury exposure in children.
Reports of elemental Hg vapor exposure in children through accidents
and occupational practices, and the more recent observations of the
increasing use of elemental Hg for magico-religious purposes in
urban communities are also discussed. Studies of inorganic Hg
exposure from the widespread use of topical beauty creams and
teething powders, and fetal/neonatal Hg exposure from maternal
dental amalgam fillings are reviewed. Considerable attention was
given in this review to pediatric methylmercury exposure and
neurodevelopment because it is the most thoroughly investigated Hg
species. Each source of Hg exposure is reviewed in relation to
specific pediatric health effects, particularly subtle
neurodevelopmental disorders.
Mercury in
vaccines.
Bull Acad Natl Med.
2003;187(8):1501-10.
Thiomersal,
also called thimerosal, is an ethyl mercury derivative used as a
preservative to prevent bacterial contamination of multidose vaccine
vials after they have been opened. Exposure to low doses of
thiomersal has essentially been associated with hypersensitivity
reactions. Nevertheless there is no evidence that allergy to
thiomersal could be induced by thiomersal-containing vaccines.
Allergy to thiomersal is usually of delayed-hypersensitivity type,
but its detection through cutaneous tests is not very reliable.
Hypersensitivity to thiomersal is not considered as a
contraindication to the use of thiomersal-containing vaccines. In
1999 in the USA, thiomersal was present in approximately 30
different childhood vaccines, whereas there were only 2 in France.
Although there were no evidence of neurological toxicity in infants
related to the use of thiomersal-containing vaccines, the FDA
considered that the cumulative dose of mercury received by young
infants following vaccination was high enough (although lower than
the FDA threshold for methyl mercury) to request vaccine
manufacturers to remove thiomersal from vaccine formulations. Since
2002, all childhood vaccines used in Europe and the USA are
thiomersal-free or contain only minute amounts of thiomersal.
Recently published studies have shown that the mercury levels in the
blood, faeces and urine of children who had received thiomersal-containing
vaccines were much lower than those accepted by the American
Environmental Protection Agency. It has also been demonstrated that
the elimination of mercury in children was much faster than what was
expected on the basis of studies conducted with methyl mercury
originating from food. Recently, the hypothesis that mercury
contained in vaccines could be the cause of autism and other
neurological developmental disorders created a new debate in the
medical community and the general public. To date, none of the
epidemiological studies conducted in Europe and elsewhere support
this assumption. Although any effort should be made to avoid useless
exposure of vaccinees to a potentially toxic compound, it should be
emphasized that 1) public communication on this issue has led to a
decrease in the hepatitis B vaccination coverage of children born to
HBs Ag positive mothers in the US; 2) this issue was not really
relevant in France where until 2002, apart from two hepatitis B
vaccines, all childhood vaccines were thiomersal-free, and 3) in
developing countries using multidose vaccine vials, moving to
thiomersal-free vaccines in unidose presentations would represent
such an incremental cost that millions of children would no more
have access to vaccination. Therefore the World Health Organisation
still recommends the use of thiomersal-containing vaccines as part
of the expanded programme of immunisation.
The three
modern faces of mercury.Environ
Health Perspect. 2002 Feb;110 Suppl
1:11-23.
The three
modern "faces" of mercury are our perceptions of risk from the
exposure of billions of people to methyl mercury in fish, mercury
vapor from amalgam tooth fillings, and ethyl mercury in the form of
thimerosal added as an antiseptic to widely used vaccines. In this
article I review human exposure to and the toxicology of each of
these three species of mercury. Mechanisms of action are discussed
where possible. Key gaps in our current knowledge are identified
from the points of view both of risk assessment and of mechanisms of
action.
Autism: a
novel form of mercury poisoning.Med
Hypotheses. 2001 Apr;56(4):462-71.
Autism is a
syndrome characterized by impairments in social relatedness and
communication, repetitive behaviors, abnormal movements, and sensory
dysfunction. Recent epidemiological studies suggest that autism may
affect 1 in 150 US children. Exposure to mercury can cause immune,
sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioral dysfunctions similar to
traits defining or associated with autism, and the similarities
extend to neuroanatomy, neurotransmitters, and biochemistry.
Thimerosal, a preservative added to many vaccines, has become a
major source of mercury in children who, within their first two
years, may have received a quantity of mercury that exceeds safety
guidelines. A review of medical literature and US government data
suggests that: (i) many cases of idiopathic autism are induced by
early mercury exposure from thimerosal; (ii) this type of autism
represents an unrecognized mercurial syndrome; and (iii) genetic and
non-genetic factors establish a predisposition whereby thimerosal's
adverse effects occur only in some children.
Human
exposure to mercury: a critical assessment of the evidence of
adverse health effects.J
Toxicol Environ Health. 1996 Oct
25;49(3):221-70.
The
ubiquitous nature of mercury in the environment, its global
atmospheric cycling, and its toxicity to humans at levels that are
uncomfortably close to exposures experienced by a proportion of the
population are some of the current concerns associated with this
pollutant. The purpose of this review is to critically evaluate the
scientific quality of published reports involving human exposures to
mercury and associated health outcomes as an aid in the risk
evaluation of this chemical. A comprehensive review of the
scientific literature involving human exposures to mercury was
performed and each publication evaluated using a defined set of
criteria that are considered standards in epidemiologic and
toxicologic research. Severe, sometimes fatal, effects of mercury
exposure at high levels were primarily reported as case studies. The
disasters in Minamata, Japan, in the 1950s and in Iraq in 1971-1972
clearly demonstrated neurologic effects associated with ingestion of
methylmercury both in adults and in infants exposed in utero. The
effects were convincingly associated with methylmercury ingestion,
despite limitations of the study design. Several well-conducted
studies have investigated the effects of methylmercury at levels
below those in the Iraq incident but have not provided clear
evidence of an effect. The lower end of the dose-response curve
constructed from the Iraq data therefore still needs to be
confirmed. The studies of mercury exposure in the workplace were
mainly of elemental or inorganic mercury, and effects that were
observed at relatively low exposure levels were primarily neurologic
and renal. Several studies have investigated effects associated with
dental amalgam but have been rated as inconclusive because of
methodologic deficiencies. In our overall evaluation, 29 of 110
occupational studies and 20 of 54 studies where exposure occurred in
the natural environment provided at least suggestive evidence of an
exposure-related effect.
Dental mercury--a public health hazard.Rev
Environ Health. 1994
Jan-Mar;10(1):1-27.
The aim of
this review is to point out the health hazards of the uncontrolled
global use of implanted mercury-leaking dental amalgam fillings. In
spite of the pandemic use of amalgam, most dentists and doctors are
still ignorant about the levels of mercury exposure and its health
implications. This review discusses the following chronically
neglected aspects in clinical practice: The use of materials science
in calculating the mercury exposure levels, which may exceed the
TLVs by an order of magnitude; Microbial dissolution and methylation
of mercury from amalgam by oral and intestinal bacteria; Diagnostic
problems and effects of chronic mercury exposure with emphasis on
intestinal, cardiovascular, mental and neurologic symptoms and
disorders; Diagnostic value of faeces--instead of urine
examination--as the main indicator of Hg exposure; Lack of control
groups unexposed to Hg (amalgam free) for epidemiologic
investigations of health problems; Contribution of dental mercury to
environmental pollution. In conclusion, a lack of interdisciplinary
research and of a critical approach to established clinical routine
appears to be the reason for the failure of the dental profession to
protect the patient from Hg exposure when saving the tooth.
Risk
assessment of mercury exposure from dental amalgams.J
Public Health Dent. 1988
Summer;48(3):172-7.
Much
attention is being focused upon the issue of mercury exposure from
dental amalgam restorations and the potential for adverse health
effects. This controversy has grown beyond the confines of the
dental profession itself and is becoming an emotional public health
issue. In hope of regaining good health, many dental patients with
chronic systemic diseases are considering replacement of their
amalgams. Dentists are increasingly being challenged to prove the
safety of amalgams. Recently, systematic methods have been
established for quantitative evaluation of environmental risks. This
study brings together the quantitative methodologies of risk
assessment and the knowledge of mercury exposure from dental
amalgams to estimate the safety of dental amalgam restorative
therapy. Analysis concludes that the margin of safety for mercury
toxicity in humans from dental amalgams is approximately 8- to
30-fold. There are many uncertainties involved in this estimate, and
further studies are warranted to improve its precision.
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