ARE MERCURY DENTAL FILLINGS A TOXIC TIME BOMB IN YOUR HEAD?
By Charles W. Moore
© 1998 Charles W. Moore
Are 20 million Canadians being slowly poisoned by the fillings in their teeth? That
is the contention of a class-action lawsuit filed in Toronto on March 31 by a group of 8000 dental patients who say they want to represent the interests of every
Canadian with mercury amalgam dental fillings.
This lawsuit has the potential to become one of the largest in Canadian history if
the courts allow every Canadian dental patient who has received mercury fillings
without being warned of potential health risks to be included.
The action names the federal government, professional dental associations, and the
firms Dentsply International and Johnson & Johnson, and seeks primarily that the
cost of having mercury fillings removed and replaced be covered, although some damages
are sought as well. If the courts rule in favour of the plaintiffs, awards could
run to "billions of dollars," according to David Himilfarb, the lawyer representing
the Canadians for Mercury Relief group.
The question the court must address is: are mercury amalgam ("silver") tooth fillings
dangerous or not? Sweden banned mercury amalgam dental fillings in January 1997,
after determining that at least 250,000 Swedes have immune and other health disorders
directly related to mercury in their teeth. Denmark will ban amalgams beginning in
January 1999.
In 1991, Germany's Health Ministry recommended to the German Dental Association that
no further amalgam fillings be placed in children, pregnant women, or people with
kidney disease, and in 1993 this was extended to include all women of child-bearing
age--pregnant or not. Austria is also phasing out mercury fillings.
By contrast, The Canadian Dental Association (CDA) insists that there is no scientific
evidence linking medical illness symptoms to mercury fillings, except relatively
for rare allergic sensitivity to mercury. Health Minister Allan Rock commented March 31 that he has not encountered any study
that shows mercury fillings are a health hazard. "We'll make our position clear
in court," Rock told reporters in Ottawa.
Amalgam ("silver") fillings contain 50% mercury, 35% silver, 13% tin, 2% copper, and
a bit of zinc. Mercury toxicity was known in the 19th century, but amalgam's cheapness,
ease of placement, and durability kept it popular, and it is the filling material
favoured by 92% of dentists, who argue that mercury fillings last longer than resin
composites, and are more gentle to tooth pulp.
Unfortunately, mercury is a poison that penetrates all living cells of the human body--more
toxic than lead, cadmium, and arsenic. The smallest amount of mercury that won't
damage human cells is unknown. Autopsy studies show a correlation between the number
of mercury fillings and mercury levels in the brain and kidneys. Research also indicates
that mercury has an adverse effect on the immune system's T-lymphocyte count.
Scrap dental amalgam is classified hazardous waste by the Environmental Protection
Agency. "What is it about the mouth that makes this same stuff non-toxic?" asks Dr.
Sandra Denton, M.D., who specializes in treating chronic mercury toxicity.
A Danish study found that Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients had 8 times higher levels
of mercury in their cerebrospinal fluid than healthy controls. Dr. Hal Huggins, of
Colorado Springs, Colorado, a dentist who has MS himself, treats MS victims and people
with other chronic health problems by removing mercury amalgam fillings. He claims
that 80-85% of his patients improve significantly, and says that if his results are
to be written off as "anecdotal" or "placebo effect," then he has the largest collection
of sustained recurring anecdotal placebo responses in the world.
Antibiotic resistant bacterial disease has become a significant and growing public
health problem over the past decade. Studies by Dr. Anne O. Summers, et al., at the
University of Georgia, and Dr. Stuart B. Levy at Tufts University, show that genes
protecting bacteria against mercury poisoning often bundle together with other genes
that give bacteria antibiotic resistant qualities. If amalgam fillings stimulate
and maintain populations of mercury-resistant bacteria, it's no major stretch to
suggest that they might also be an agent in developing antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
It is well-established that elemental mercury vapour emits from amalgam tooth fillings
during chewing, brushing, and eating hot and/or acidic foods. Most of this vapour
is inhaled. Dr. Murray Vimy, a dentist and professor at the University of Calgary,
has proved that mercury migrates from the teeth into nearly all body tissues, especially
the brain, kidneys, and liver. He found mercury levels 3 times higher in the brain
and kidney tissue of subjects with mercury amalgams. Dr. Vimy maintains that dental
schools are not equipped to evaluate physical illness.
The average dentist handles two or three pounds of mercury annually. According to
Consumer Reports, up to 10 percent of dental offices have mercury vapour levels exceeding
50 micrograms per cubic metre of air--the upper limit considered safe for eight-hour
workplace exposures. Dr. Sandra Denton cites a study at the University of North Texas
that found neuropsychological dysfunction in 90% of dentists tested. Female dental
personnel have a higher spontaneous abortion rate, higher incidence of premature
labour, and elevated perinatal mortality.
The CDA counters that with billions of mercury amalgam fillings placed, there is no
apparent epidemic of ill health effects. However, others argue that so many people
have mercury fillings that no effective "control" group exists. Former Health Canada
biologist Mark Richardson who researched the scientific literature on mercury toxicity
in preparing a risk assessment, notes that it is people wanting to maintain the status
quo who conclude that there is no evidence that mercury toxicity is a health problem.
He refers to the tobacco industry's stalwart insistence that studies linking smoking
to lung cancer are unscientific. Richardson's report, under consideration by Health
Canada, recommends limiting the number of mercury fillings per person.
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