Up to 2 million children in the European Union (EU) are born
with methylmercury exposures that exceed the EU’s safe limit.
Of them, 200,000 have levels above the World Health
Organization’s (WHO) recommended maximum for mercury exposures.
Exposure to mercury while the brain is still developing has been
linked to lower IQ, and therefore a lower lifetime learning
potential; if the effects of mercury on developing brains were
converted into IQ points, controlling mercury pollution would
save 700,000 IQ points per year in the European Union alone.
The use of mercury in dentistry is one of the primary causes of
widespread mercury pollution around the globe, along with
personal health risks from mercury vapor release.
While I do recommend that healthy people have their mercury
fillings removed by a qualified biological dentist, this should
NOT be done during pregnancy or while breastfeeding due to the
potential for mercury vapors to be released if done improperly.
By Dr. Mercola
Every year, up to 2 million children in the European Union
(EU) are born with methylmercury exposures that exceed the EU’s
safe limit. Of them, 200,000 have levels above the
World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended maximum
for mercury exposures, which means they’re born with hazardous
levels of mercury in their tiny bodies.
These alarming statistics came from a new study revealing the
huge health burden and economic toll that mercury pollution is
taking on populations worldwide.1
Controlling Mercury Pollution Could Save 700,000 IQ Points a
Year
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin; it doesn't take much to cause
serious damage because there is absolutely no safe level of
exposure. For instance, if you were to take the amount of
mercury in a typical thermometer and put it in a small lake,
that lake could be closed down due to environmental hazards.
Children and fetuses whose brains are still developing are at
greatest risk because of their small size, their more permeable
blood-brain barriers and the fact that they're detoxification
systems are not yet capable of effectively removing toxic
challenges. Exposure to mercury while the brain is still
developing has been linked to lower IQ, and therefore a lower
lifetime learning potential.
For instance, research has revealed that babies exposed to
higher levels of mercury in the womb scored lower on skills
tests when they became infants and toddlers.2
According to the new study, if the effects of mercury on
developing brains were converted into IQ points, controlling
mercury pollution would save 700,000 IQ points per year in the
European Union alone, and lead to significant economic benefits
as a result. Researchers noted:
“These estimates document that efforts to combat
mercury pollution and to reduce MeHg exposures will have
very substantial economic benefits in Europe … “
Mercury Fillings Remain a Major Cause of Mercury Pollution
You’ve probably heard about the risks of consuming seafood
that’s contaminated with mercury. Ever wonder where all that
mercury in fish and seafood comes from? As
Charlie Brown of Consumers for Dental Choice put it:
“Mercury fillings are one source of mercury
contaminating the fish and seafood that we eat. The
environmental health effects of dental mercury are well
known: brain damage and neurological problems, especially
for children and the unborn babies of pregnant women.”
The use of mercury fillings is very much an issue of global
concern, as once in the environment, dental mercury converts to
its even more toxic form, methylmercury, and becomes a major
source of accumulated mercury in the fish you eat. Mercury from
dental amalgam pollutes:
Water via dental clinic releases and
human waste (amalgam is by far the largest source of mercury
in our wastewater)
Air via cremation, dental clinic
emissions, sludge incineration, and respiration; and
Soil via landfills, burials, and
fertilizer
Mercury Fillings May Pose Risks to Children, Pregnant Women
Even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) admits that
amalgam could be dangerous for children and that there is no
evidence that it is safe for them. Buried deep in the FDA's 2009
amalgam rule, FDA conceded:3
"The developing neurological systems in fetuses and
young children may be more sensitive to the neurotoxic
effects of mercury vapor. Very limited to no clinical
information is available regarding long-term health outcomes
in pregnant women and their developing fetuses, and children
under the age of six, including infants who are breastfed.”
There is overwhelming evidence showing mercury from dental
fillings to be easily released in the form of vapor each time
you eat, drink, brush your teeth, chew gum, or otherwise
stimulate your teeth. This mercury vapor readily passes through
cell membranes, across your blood-brain barrier, and into your
central nervous system, where it can cause psychological,
neurological and immunological problems. In the United States,
children and pregnant women continue to have their health and
the health of future generations put at risk because the FDA is
failing to protect them.
The WHO also reports the known toxic effects of mercury
exposure, including in its inhaled vapor form, stating:4
"Mercury is highly toxic and harmful to health.
Approximately 80% of inhaled mercury vapor is absorbed in
the blood through the lungs, causing damages to lungs,
kidneys and the nervous, digestive, respiratory and immune
systems. Health effects from excessive mercury exposure
include tremors, impaired vision and hearing, paralysis,
insomnia, emotional instability, developmental deficits
during fetal development, and attention deficit and
developmental delays during childhood."
If You’re Pregnant, WAIT to Have Your Mercury Fillings Removed
For those of you who have mercury fillings, I recommend that
you have them removed -- but this should NOT be done while
you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. This is because when you have
these fillings removed you can be exposed to significant amounts
of mercury vapors if the dentist doesn't know what he or she is
doing, and this could be quite toxic to a fetus or breastfed
infant.
It's also for this reason that I strongly suggest you get
healthy BEFORE having your fillings removed, as you want your
detoxification mechanisms optimized prior to removal. Once you
are healthy and no longer pregnant or nursing, find a qualified
biological dentist who is experienced with mercury filling
removal. Some things that need to be done to keep you (and your
dentist) safe during mercury filling (amalgam) removal include:
Providing you with an alternative air source and
instructing you not to breathe through your mouth
Using a cold-water spray to minimize mercury vapors
Putting a rubber dam in your mouth so you don't swallow
or inhale any toxins
Using a high-volume evacuator near the tooth at all
times to evacuate the mercury vapor
Washing your mouth out immediately after the fillings
have been removed (the dentist should also change gloves
after the removal)
Immediately cleaning your protective wear and face once
the fillings are removed
Using room air purifiers
How to Detoxify from Mercury Exposure
In the video above, Dr. Christopher Shade, a mercury and
glutathione expert from the University of Illinois, explains how
your body’s natural heavy metal detoxification system works.
It’s a lengthy lecture — about three hours. But if you truly
want an in-depth understanding of this topic, he gives an
excellent presentation of the latest science about the human
biochemistry of mercury.
Your body is designed to detoxify mercury and other heavy
metals, but an impaired metabolism can lead to mercury toxicity.
My revised mercury detoxification protocol, which incorporates
the work of Dr. Shade, supports your glutathione system and all
of the enzymes and transporter proteins that must be working
properly if your body is to efficiently cleanse itself of
mercury. You can get all the details in my
revised protocol to detoxify your body from mercury
exposure.
Forward-Thinking Government Agencies Urging a Phase-Out of
Mercury in Dentistry
For example, in a letter to EU member state representatives
and dental experts, the EEB asked recipients to support a
phase-out of the use of mercury in dentistry, both in the EU and
around the world. The EU has been aggressive in both their
intent and actions aimed at reducing mercury usage, and even
adopted a mercury strategy in 2005, which contains 20 measures
to reduce mercury emissions, cut supply and demand protections
against exposure.
The EEB letter came on the heels of a July 2012 European
Commission report by BIO Intelligence Service (BIOS),5
which also recommended the phase-out of dental amalgam and
mercury in button cell batteries.
Sweden has already phased out dental mercury, and several
other European countries have either significantly reduced its
use or have imposed restrictions on it. The fact that amalgam
releases so much mercury into the environment is one reason why
WHO is working to facilitate "a switch in use of dental
materials" away from amalgam.6
They, too, noted that dental amalgam raises "general
health concerns." The WHO report observed:
"According to the Norwegian Dental Biomaterials
Adverse Reaction Unit, the majority of cases of side-effects
of dental filling materials are linked with dental amalgam."
With dental mercury uncontrollably entering the environment
from multiple pathways, phasing out amalgam and transitioning to
non-mercury alternatives is the only way to phase down – and
eventually eliminate – this significant source of mercury that
threatens our environment and ultimately our health.
This is why support for Consumers for Dental Choice, which
has worked to educate the government about dental mercury
pollution and the many mercury-free alternatives to amalgam, is
now more important than ever. Consumers for Dental Choice leads
the battle for mercury-free dentistry both in the U.S. and
worldwide, especially at the UN mercury treaty negotiations. Its
financial needs are greater than ever, so we ask for your help!
Please consider a donation to Consumers for Dental Choice, a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to working for
mercury-free dentistry for every child and every adult.