DENTAL AMALGAM FILLINGS PAGE
DAMS Intl. - Bernie Windham- Ed.
The cited papers that can be linked to on this page have over 5,000 medical studies or Government Agency studies that document that:
1. The only stable form of mercury at room temperature is as a gas, and since amalgam is mixed metal it is subject to galvanic(battery effect)/Electromagnetic Fields(EMF) induced electrical currents that pump the metals into the oral cavity. Mercury begins vaporizing at 10 degrees Farenheit and the vapor pressure doubles for each additional 10 degrees centigrade. Thus a person with amalgams gets high mercury vapor exposure through oral air and extremely high levels of deposited metals including mercury in the oral cavity, from which mercury is transported to all other major organs and hormone glands by capillaries and nerves. Additionally it has been documented that heat and EMF exposure such as diathermy, sauna, dental cleaning and polishing equipment, electric tooth brushes, hair dryers, hot drinks, MRIs, etc. cause significantly higher vaporization of mercury in amalgam and higher exposures. Thus amalgam appears incompatible with modern life that has such exposures.
2. For these reasons, Dental Amalgam Fillings are the largest source of mercury in most people, and largest source of methyl mercury as well since other forms of mercury are methylated to methyl mercury in the body by bacteria, yeast, etc. Those with several amalgam fillings have mercury excretion levels 10 times the average of those without amalgam, and most after amalgam replacement have reductions of 90% in mercury level in saliva and excretion. Most people with several fillings get significant daily exposures to mercury that exceed Government Health Guidelines for Mercury Exposure.
3. Mercury is extremely toxic and the most toxic substance with common significant exposures. No safe level where there are not measurable adverse effects has ever been documented. However not all people receiving the same exposure are equally effected and mercury toxicity effects depend on susceptibility factors such as immune reactivity, systemic detoxification and metal excretion ability, other synergistic exposures, polymorphisms, other synergistic exposures, etc. , as well as dose.
4. Mercury vapor or organic mercury readily crosses the blood-brain barrier and the placenta to a fetus, and accumulates to significant levels in the brain, CNS, motor neurons, hormone glands, and major organs such as the heart, kidneys, and liver in direct proportion to the number of amalgam filling surfaces. Mercury is documented to be extremely cytotoxic (kills cells), neurotoxic, and immunotoxic, as well as inducing immune reactivity in large numbers of people.
5. Mercury and other toxic, immune reactive, and carcinogenic metals like nickel form strong bonds with the sulfhydryl radical(SH) in amino acids which are the body's main building blocks and cellular level fuel, disrupting the basic metabolic processes such as the conversion of cysteine to sulfates, taurine, and glutathione. The incomplete conversion of such amino acids results in toxic metabolites such as beta-casamorphine and sulfites as well as immune and autoimmune conditions. Mercury has been found to be a common cause of autism; ADHD, seizures/epilepsy, and prenatal exposures have been found to have significant neurological and cardiovascular effects. Mother’s dental fillings are the largest source of prenatal mercury exposure for most, but direct occupational(such as dental workers) and medical exposures can be significant sources for some.
6. Mercury also accumulates in the brain and CNS and damages nerve cells involved in parkinson's and ALS through free radical formation and oxidative damage.
Some of the autoimmune conditions documented to be commonly caused by mercury(and other toxic metals) include oral lichen planus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(CFS), Fibromyalgia(FM), MS, Lupus, Lou Gehrig's Disease(ALS), Parkinson's, diabetes, etc.
7. Thousands of medical studies on humans and animals have confirmed the mechanisms by which mercury(and other toxic metals) cause over 40 serious or chronic health conditions including neurological, hormonal, reproductive, immune, autoimmune, cardiovascular, & birth defects and developmental effects on infants.
8. There are many thousands of clinical cases of cure or significant improvement in these conditions after proper amalgam replacement and treatment, as followed and documented by doctors. Some of the conditions that mercury has been documented to cause and which people have been documented to recover from after proper amalgam replacement or treatment include: periodontal disease, oral keratosis(pre cancer)), immune system, autoimmune problems , allergies, asthma, lupus, sinus problems, chronic headaches/ migraines, multiple chemical sensitivities, epilepsy, blood conditions, chron's disease, stomach problems, dizzyness/vertigo, arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Lou Gehrig's Disease(ALS), Parkinson's/ muscle tremor, Alzheimer's, muscular/joint pain/fibromyalgia , infertility, depression , autism, schizophrenia, ADD, depression, insomnia, anger, anxiety & mental confusion , susceptibility to infections , antibiotic resistant infection, endometriosis , Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(CFS) , tachycardia and heart problems , memory disorders , cancer(breast, etc./ leukemia, neuropathy/paresthesia, alopecia/hair loss , tinnitus, chronic eye conditions: inflamation/iritis/ astigmatism/myopia /cataracts/macula degeneration , vision disturbances, eczema, psoriasis, skin conditions , urinary/prostrate problems, hearing loss, candida, PMS, diabetes, etc. The majority of those treated for most of these conditions showed significant improvement for most of these conditions.
9. Cavitations are commonly caused by improper tooth extractions. They are a form of jawbone disease marked by a loss of normal bone density or by holes in the jawbone, and caused by infection, toxicity, trauma and other factors. Leading causes of jawbone cavitations are toxic, infected root canaled teeth and improperly extracted teeth, including improperly extracted root canaled teeth, where the extraction site was not thoroughly cleaned out and toxic, infected soft tissue was left behind at the extraction site.
Root canals and cavitations have been documented to often over time accumulate extremely toxic anaerobic bacteria which give off toxins that can have similar toxic effects in disrupting enzymatic processes as mercury and to be a factor in some autoimmune cases such as Parkinson's, MS, ALS, Alzheimer's, etc . Clinical trials have found infections of locally asymptomatic root-canaled teeth and cavitations to be extremely common, occurring in over 50% of root-canaled teeth and wisdom tooth extraction sites tested. New tests are available for testing for such conditions, which are commonly factors in chronic health conditions. Many are documented to have recovered from such conditions after treatment.
10. Dental Amalgam Mercury Syndrome, Inc.(DAMS) (Florida) National web site(www.amalgam.org) is a patients support organization for those with chronic mercury conditions or who need advise about dental biocompatibilty/toxicity issues. They have lists of specially trained dentists in dealing with mercury and biocompatibility issues, and have issued several fact sheets documenting and summarizing common mercury exposure levels, adverse health and environmental effects of mercury from amalgam and other mercury sources.
11. Due to the high mercury exposures to people with several amalgam fillings, dental amalgam is the largest source of mercury in sewers and sewer sludge. Municipal sewer agencies and EPA have found the average person with several fillings excretes approximately 30 micrograms of mercury into the sewers, and dental offices also have large amounts of mercury going into sewers. Due to these high levels of mercury from amalgam going into sewers which empty into water bodies, amalgam has been found to be a significant source of mercury in water bodies, fish, and the environment in general due to the vaporization of other forms of mercury to a gas. Mercury and other toxic chemicals are accumulating in fish and wildlife to dangerous levels. The number of lakes in the U.S. with warnings regarding eating fish and wildlife has been growing rapidly and has reached over 50,000 (20% of all U.S. significant lakes), along with 7% of all U.S. river miles, all Great Lakes, and many coastal bays and estuaries. Over 50% of Florida water bodies have fish mercury warnings, and a large survey found over 30% of Floridians have dangerous levels of mercury. The fish and wildlife subject to these exposures are showing serious and sometimes catastrophic hormonal and reproductive problems related to the accumulation of mercury and other endocrine disrupting chemicals to those at the top of the food chain such as wading birds, alligators, Florida Panthers, minks, polar bears, seals, beluga and orca whales, etc. People are also having widespread neurological, immune, hormonal, and reproductive problems related to these common exposures. The mercury levels from amalgam results in higher levels of mercury in the water of home septic tanks of those with amalgams and in most U.S. sewer systems higher than the EPA guideline mercury level developed to avoid accumulation in fish and wildlife and adopted by some areas for this purpose. Thus the Environmental Effects of Amalgam Dental Fillings are seen to be affecting everyone.
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DAMS Page- Florida Chapter, Technical Documentation Page
FDA Amalgam Docket Review Page
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Page
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