Video of vapor coming off of mercury dental fillings

[Maraya1969]

This is freaky.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ylnQ-T7oiA

[glowing]

1. Wow. I think I'm going to have my one filling changed out. This isn't

the first time I've heard this about amalgam fillings.. but its the first time I saw that. Wonder if that's where all the increases in autistic children are coming from?

[depakid]

2. Careful with that

Many dental amalgams contain bisphenol-A, which because it's an endocrine disrupter (an estrogen mimic) is actually toxic to many people (and to developing fetus') in amounts that can and do leach from fillings (among other things).

[backscatter712]

4. Are there any filling materials that aren't toxic in one way or another?

I mean there are the old fashioned metal amalgams, which have toxic metals like mercury in them.

Then there are the newer plastic fillings, which IIRC are the ones with bisphenol-A.

Are there any fillings out there that won't kill you, dain-bramage your or monkey with your hormones?

[Maraya1969]

6. I have the white fillings now and I thought they were safe.

I just had my 4 back molars pulled because I did not want to go through removing the metal and the dangers of taking it all out. Now I have to get a bridge but that can wait.

They say they are porcelain no plastic. I thought that was different.

[Tesha]

29. Do you have *ANY* hard evidence to support that claim???

> Many dental amalgams contain bisphenol-A, ...

Do you have *ANY* hard evidence at all to support your claim
that metal restorations ("Amalgams") contain a plasticizer/
polycarbonate monomer?

Tesha

[StarryNite]

3. Thanks for posting this.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

5. Extremely toxic.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. I do have a B.A. in biology and studied anaerobic bacteria in Microbiology class. However I have personal experience with getting my Hg fillings and root canals removed.

Please, do research on "biological dentistry" and "Dr. Huggins' protocol".


Get them removed and replaced with plastic (Cerex). If your fillings crack and they have to be removed, get the tooth removed. Don't get a root canal because then you get an anaerobic infection (in a sealed place that gets no air) in the root tips which can be quite harmful. Anaerobic bacteria cause severe and often fatal diseases, such as botulism, tetanus, gas gangrene and others.

Mercury is the most toxic non-radioactive element, according to the EPA. Mercury is NOT stable, in spite of what the American Dental Association claims, and your mouth is a slightly acidic wet battery which conducts electricity if metals are present.

Dentists have been putting in Hg fillings since 1840. About 1870, dentists were writing papers about the bad effects of Hg in fillings to the body.

Do we do anything ELSE in medicine the same way we did in 1840??? HELL NO!!!

The American Dental Association LIES and then threatens to yank the licenses of any dentists who tell the truth about mercury and its harmful effects. This is prior restraint of free speech, not to mention scientifically inaccurate and dishonest.





:banghead:

[Maraya1969]

7. Well Hell one of the back teeth that was built up but had an irregular

bottom that never really got covered with my gums like it is supposed to, (I don't know; I was told to brush the front ones down on the top to get the gums to go over the edge of the cap or whatever is there. It is all so confusing to me)


ANYWAY something has gotten in there and I am in all sorts of pain on and off. I keep thinking that it is gone and then I eat something crunchy and it swells all up again.

So I may have this anaerobic bacteria underneath my gums? I think it is at least an abscess at this point.


May I join you?


:banghead:

[skids]

14. You need to get that infection cleared...

...if you are at risk of heart attack. It probably puts you at greater risk of a heart attack, and it's just not a healthy thing to allow to go on.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/11/001113071724.htm

[izzie]

8. I think that was all we got when I grew up

Over the years all mine have been replaced. Boy are you young people lucky today. The care of teeth has just become great. I was born in the 30th and hardly any kids even went to a dentist. We did and I still have all my teeth but we were odd balls as kids, having to leave school and go to a dentist. Funny part is I had a women dentist back in those so called 'good old days'. I recall her name. Dr. Dean of Lowell, Ma. My mother had her own car and we came from Maine just to go to this dentist. We were not happy to go as drills hurt in those days.

[TZ]

9. Fraudulent

Mercury vapor is HEAVIER than air and would not rise like smoke. Thats why mercury vapors are dangerous they hang around and DON'T rise. What you are most likely seeing is WATER VAPOR.

See this link for further debunking of this video:
http://www.ssr.com/cgi-bin/ezmlm-cgi?1:mss:104916:200601:fdfcgmgkbfcnjfncombb

[skids]

10. Quackbusters, huh?

Well, you should really be at least as skeptical about the sites that you go to to get your skeptic fix as you are about other sites.

Note in their own comments section:

http://quackfiles.blogspot.com/2005/04/smoking-teeth-truth-gets-smoked-out.html

Very interesting and detailed explanation of sinking mercury vapor. Could you please explain to me the rising mercury vapor seen coming off the liquid mercury in the carpet and the dish in videos presented on this site?

http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/WPIE/HazSub/Mercury.htm

Thanks
Yana | Homepage | 04.23.06 - 8:43 pm | #

Gravatar I hate to tell you, but mercury vapour does rise. There's no question of that. Yeah, check out the videos the previous poster added. It also appears to me that in the smoking teeth video there was a fan running lightly so that you'd be able to see the vapour moving. Might have been done to make it look more sensational, but it's still just moving it around.
A. Grantham | Homepage | 01.31.07 - 3:53 pm | #

Gravatar Below is the response I got from my friend, Sam Queen (one of the country's leading experts on mercury). Perhaps the experts at Quackbusters should do more research before such condemnations.


In this case, you need look no further than the routine used by OSHA when
assessing exposure to mercury vapor. OSHA NEVER looks for mercury vapor on
the floor, unless in a refrigerator. At room temperature, which is typical
of the workplace, they would always test the vapor at higher points within
the room, due not only to the fact that this is where breathing takes place but also that mercury vapor rises. I'd like to see their response to this information. Sam
Mike Robichaux, D.D.S. | 04.30.07 - 9:44 am | #

[TZ]

11. I trust quackbusters AND my chemistry professors

AND I know enough science (I actually have a fricking degree in science-including several years of chemistry) to know when the explanation I am hearing is correct.
The people who dislike quackbusters tend to be quacks and their friends with agendas.like proving amalgams are the root of all evil.

[skids]

12. Hah!

But you don't trust the Ohio EPA, Eh? Bunch of conspiracy nuts those guys.

http://www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-ead-p2-mercury-bb-Vapors.wmv

[SoCalDem]

15. You "science people" are so bossy

:rofl:
Don't you know that in the 21st century, anecdotal "evidence" and myth are more trusted than stodgy ole science:)?

[skids]

26. No nowadays...

...anything and everything that claims to "debunk" something else is swallowed hook line and sinker just as long as it contains at least one math equation, regardless of whether that math is correctly applied.

Not that I am sold on the idea that the video is being truthful -- seems like an awful lot of vapor to be coming out 25 years running, though I'd have to know more about the mass necessary to create a visual effect in that test.

Just that mercury vapor does exist, does rise on air currrents, and some random boob trying to apply high school chemistry to a complicated fluid dynamics problem isn't going to change that fact.

[SoCalDem]

27. It happens because so many people are not schooled in the basics

and anyone who wears a suit and/or writes a book, is presumed to be an expert..
Anyone who has ever watched a trial knows that there are experts and then there are "experts"..

It's hard to know anything for sure anymore :(

[Tesha]

30. The other thing you can trust is math.

All anyone needs to do to disprove the mercury filling
conspiracy nutters is to calculate how long a filling
would last at the dose rates the nutters talk about,
and compare that to the actual life of amalgam fillings
in the mouths of real people. Some of mine lasted nearly
forty years before they were replaced, but at the dose
rates the nutters like to talk about, my fillings should
have completely evaporated/dissolved after about five
years, leaving great gaping holes in my molars.

Tesha

[PCIntern]

13. I am a dentist and this is complete and utter bullshit...

and there's no more environmentally conscious dentist than I.

If you want to believe that mercury vapors are visible AND THAT THEY RISE, believe what you want.

The whole thing is a scam to get folks to go to these dentists and change their fillings for $$$$$$$. Imagine my whole practice changing amalgams to composites or porcelain...you couldn't fight your way into my waiting room.

On edit: DU needs a Dental Forum...I'm getting sick and tired of reading hysterical nonsense posted on these boards which is blatantly false from an epidemiological point of view.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. Thank you

I have a mouth full of fillings and several root canals and I have had no health problems, other than the severe infection I got when I ignored my dentist's advice to get a root canal. I am now paying for that with severe gum disease that developed around that tooth and after spending thousands of dollars to repair the damage I could have prevented, I may lose that tooth after all.

I see someone upthread advising to have a tooth pulled if it has a cracked filling. I have one in a top incisor and the tooth is dying. My dentist is recommending replacing the filling and putting a crown on that tooth. Should I do that or go ahead and have it pulled and put in a bridge? I have dental insurance so cost is not a huge factor and my dentist said he would pull it and put in the bridge if I want. What do you think I should do?

Thanks!

[PCIntern]

20. Keep the tooth if AT ALL POSSIBLE

...if you trust you dentist, then follow his or her advice. It's your best bet. If you don't, then get a second opinion from someone who does not have an agenda. An agenda is defined as something which the dentist wants to do no matter what the circumstances are.

I'll post something below about this phenomenon.

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. Thank you very much

Yes I trust my dentist. I have horrible teeth and spent my childhood in braces (6 years!) so I have lots of dental experience. 23 cavities after I got my braces off! Still hurts to think about that!

Start a new thread. This bullshit needs to be confronted head on. I met a guy at one of our anti-war rallies a few months ago who went on and on about the evils of fluoride. A couple younger kids were hanging on his every word. Finally one of them asked me what I thought and I said I would be happy to open my mouth and show them I have fillings in nearly every tooth as there was no fluoride in water and no fluoride treatments at the dentist when I was a kid. On the other hand, one of my kids has three fillings and the other has none. The anti-fluoride guy said I was slowly poisoning my children. But I noticed he had pretty bad teeth and wondered how he was planning on getting by without them when he is my age. :)

[PCIntern]

22. Here in PA, the anti-fluoridationists were fascist,

John Birch Society types who stated that it was all a Communist Plot. Like all Rethug bullshit, it's gone mainstream. Anti amalgam, anti-fluoride, anti-contraception...it's all has the same roots.

[Canuckistanian]

16. What the hell is mercury "vapor"?

Mercury is a metal that just happens to be a liquid at room temperature. And it's boiling point is 674 degrees Fahrenheit.

It ain't like water.

[LeftishBrit]

17. Yes.

If your mercury fillings were turning to vapour, the mercury would be the least of your problems!

[AlCzervik]

18. i would think someone wold be chasing you around with a fire extinguisher at the very least.

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. And you might also be setting off smoke detectors

:rofl:

[backscatter712]

24. Even though mercury doesn't evaporate until 674 degrees,

like water, it does evaporate at room temperature. No, it doesn't become smoke like in the video - mercury vapor is invisible.

The vaporized mercury gas is quite toxic, and will build up in your bloodstream.

That's why people make such a big fuss over broken mercury thermometers and fluorescent lights - break them open and you will have mercury vapor in the room.

Though personally, I'd be concerned about mercury slowly dissolving into the saliva in my mouth, then getting swallowed.

[Duppers]

28. and the fact that the FDA issued a statement about eating too much fish

Consumption Advice
Joint Federal Advisory for Mercury in Fish
Backgrounder for the 2004 FDA/EPA Consumer Advisory:
What You Need to Know About Mercury in Fish and Shellfish

FDA and EPA are issuing a joint consumer advisory about mercury in fish and shellfish. The advice is for: women who might become pregnant; women who are pregnant; nursing mothers; and young children. This is significant because it is the first time FDA and EPA have combined their advice into a single uniform advisory. Previously FDA issued an advisory on consumption of commercially caught fish, while EPA issued advice on recreationally caught fish.

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/factsheet.html

=============================================================================


Even though the video is faulted, at say the least, this is not clear-cut issue. The pros and cons:




A Fact Sheet for Health Professionals - Elemental Mercury


The amount of mercury from a typical broken thermometer would be considered a small spill. If more mercury than this is spilled, it would be considered a large spill. Some people save mercury from various sources and store the product in containers. This is dangerous because mercury may escape from broken or improperly sealed containers. Individuals may often be exposed without their knowledge.
Sampling conducted by IDPH in homes where small mercury spills have taken place has not shown large amounts of mercury in the air. High levels would not be expected unless the spill took place on a hot surface or into a device like a humidifier that blows liquids into the air.

http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/mercuryhlthprof.htm

===========================================

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH GUIDELINE FOR MERCURY VAPOR
Occupational Safety & Health Administration
EXPOSURE SOURCES AND CONTROL METHODS
The following operations may involve mercury and lead to worker exposures to the vapor of this substance:
* The mining, production, and transportation of mercury
* The mining and refining operations for gold and silver ores
* Use in thermometers, manometers, barometers, gauges, and valves
* Use in amalgams for dentistry, preservatives, heat transfer technology, pigments, catalysts, and in lubricating oils

Methods that are effective in controlling worker exposures to mercury vapor, depending on the feasibility of implementation, are as follows:
* Process enclosure
* Local exhaust ventilation
* General dilution ventilation
* Personal protective equipment

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/mercuryvapor/recognition.html

==============================================================================

.... the interaction between mercury exposure and a genetic polymorphism in heme biosynthesis (coproporphyrinogen oxidase) yielded additive impairments on a test of visual-motor skills in dental workers (Echeverria, 2006). Such interactions between specific genetic systems and environmental exposures supply rich terrain for future exploratory studies.
....
Even the mercury vapors from dental amalgam have been implicated as a possible, though controversial, source of exposure among dental workers and the general population. A study of 1663 veterans used a wide battery of noncognitive tests and found no clinically evident deficits associated with amalgam exposure. However, a subclinical decrement in vibration as measured by an automated device correlated with amalgam exposure and accounted for 15% of the variance in a multiple regression model (Kingman, 2005). Two recent randomized studies of a total of 1041 children aged 6-10 years whose dental caries were treated with either amalgam or resin composite fillings showed no group differences on extensive batteries of neuropsychological tests after 5-7 years of follow up (Bellinger, 2006; DeRouen, 2006).

Finally, recent concerns about the mercury content of childhood vaccines that used mercury derivatives for their antimicrobial and preservative qualities have led to the increased availability of mercury-free vaccines (Bigham, 2005).

….
The American Dental Association has reported that 34 of 38 lawsuits alleging amalgam-induced mercury toxicity have been dismissed since 2002.

http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/topic617.htm

============================

The Case Against Amalgam.pdf
http://www.iaomt.org/articles/files/files193/The%20Case%20Against%20Amalgam.pdf

=========================

Mercury Vapor In Workplace Atmospheres
Occupational Safety & Health Administration

Occupations with potential exposure to mercury and its compounds are listed: 8.8
________________________________________
amalgam makers fur processors
bactericide makers gold extractors
barometer makers histology technicians
battery makers, mercury ink makers
boiler makers insecticide makers
bronzers investment casting workers
calibration instrument makers jewelers
cap loaders, percussion laboratory workers, chemical
carbon brush makers lampmakers, fluorescent
caustic soda makers manometer makers
ceramic workers mercury workers
chlorine makers miners, mercury
dental amalgam makers neon light makers
dentists paint makers
direct current meter workers paper makers
disinfectant makers percussion cap makers
disinfectors pesticide workers
drug makers photographers
dye makers pressure gage makers
electric apparatus makers refiners, mercury
electroplaters seed handlers
embalmers silver extractors
explosive makers switch makers, mercury
farmers tannery workers
fingerprint detectors taxidermists
fireworks makers textile printers
fungicide makers thermometer makers
fur preservers wood preservative workers
________________________________________


http://www.osha.gov/dts/sltc/methods/inorganic/id140/id140.html

=================================================================================

Title : Mercury Vapor Levels in Dental Spaces,
Corporate Author : NAVAL GRADUATE DENTAL SCHOOL BETHESDA MD

Abstract : Mercury vapor in sufficient concentration can be toxic to humans. Studies showing vapor levels in dental operating rooms are conflicting in their results. The purpose of this investigation was to compare mercury vapor levels in the air of dental operating rooms at three separate naval facilities. Direct mercury vapor meter readings were taken in a newly remodeled 14-unit facility, an 18-unit student clinic, and a small, carpeted three-operatory clinic. Some conditions contributing to high mercury vapor levels were also evaluated. Highest mercury vapor concentrations for a working day were found in the small clinic, in which the mean value of 0.056 mg/cu m exceeded the revised threshold limit value (TLV). Activities such as carpet vacuuming, stamping of feet, and amalgam trituration momentarily increased mercury concentration to peaks up to 0.20 mg/cu m. A direct relationship was noted between the amount of mercury in the air and the amount of mercury in the urine of persons working in the room. (Author)

http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0757320

====================================================================================

Atomic absorption determination of mercury vapors in the air of the work environment

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=461409&dopt=AbstractPlus

==================================================

British Dental Journal
Mercury vapour release from a dental aspirator
C. A. Stonehouse1 and A. P. Newman2

1Postgraduate Student and GDP, Coventry University, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Coventry, UK ; 2Senior Lecturer, Coventry University, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Coventry, UK
At the dentist's breathing zone, mercury vapour concentrations of ten times the current occupational exposure limit of 25 μg/m3 were recorded after 20 minutes of continuous aspirator operation. A build up of amalgam contamination within the internal corrugated tubing of the aspirator was found to be the main source of mercury vapour emissions followed by particulate amalgam trapped within the vacuum motor. As the vacuum motor heated up with run time, mercury vapour emissions increased. It was found that the bacterial air exhaust filter (designed to clean the contaminated waste air entering the surgery) offered no protection to mercury vapour. In this case the filter trapped particulate amalgam which contributed to further mercury vapour contamination as high volume air was vented through it.
http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v190/n10/full/4801034a.html

====================================================

Evaluation of the mercury exposure of dental amalgam patients by the Mercury Triple Test

G Hansen, R Victor, E Engeldinger and C Schweitzer
Laboratoire d’Hygiène du Milieu et de Surveillance Biologique, Laboratoire National de Santé, Luxembourg

Aims: To establish and analyse reference data for the mercury burden of patients with and without amalgam fillings.

Methods: Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to quantify Hg concentrations in the scalp hair and urine (before and after application of dimercaptopropane sulphonate), and Hg release from dental amalgams (using a newly developed, amalgam specific chew test), in 2223 subjects.

Results: 50th centiles were 1.3 µg Hg/g creatinine in basal urine, 32 µg Hg/g creatinine after DMPS application, 454 ng Hg/g in hair, and 27 µg Hg per g of chewing gum, which corresponds to about 1 µg Hg released per minute of chewing. Total Hg intake (from ambient air, drinking water, food, and amalgams) of most patients is well below the provisioned tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) defined by the WHO, unless extremely Hg rich food is consumed on a regular basis. However, for patients exceeding the 75thcentile in chew tests, total Hg intake exceeds the PTWI by about 50%, even at the low limit of intake from food. In the absence of occupational exposure, significant Hg release from dental amalgams is a necessary but insufficient condition to obtain a high long term body burden. After removal of dental amalgams, chew tests no longer exhibit oral Hg exposure, while basal urine Hg content and DMPS induced excretion display a exponential decrease (half life about 2 months in both cases).

http://oem.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/61/6/535

==========================================================================

Mercury in Dentistry - Still a Problem

The production of metallic mercury is limited to about ten thousand tonnes each year, worldwide. Estimates of the amount used in dentistry suggest that about 150 tonnes are used in dental restorations each year, the average dentist using 2 or 3 pounds (1 to 1.5 kg) annually. This seems insignificant compared with up to 150 kilotonnes released each year into the biosphere by degassing of the earth's crust and by burning fossil fuels.

However, in the confined space of a contaminated dental surgery, the comparatively low partial pressure of free mercury means that at room temperature, saturation of air with mercury vapour can theoretically give rise to levels of 20 mg per cubic metre. This is a massive 400 times the recommended time-limited value (TLV) of 0.05 mg per cubic metre proposed by the World Health Organisation for occupational exposure. The TLV is the theoretical amount to which an adult can be occupationally exposed during an 8 hour day without supposed adverse effects on health.

By contrast, the normal atmospheric level of mercury vapour has been measured as between 1 and 4 ng (0.000001 to 0.000004 mg) per cubic metre and is the result of natural processes combined with pollutant emission and, for example, the release of mercury from dental fillings by cremation. It is easy to see, therefore, that unchecked mercury contamination of the dental surgery can theoretically give rise to vapour levels well in excess of the accepted working safety limit. In surveys of mercury concentrations in the atmosphere of dental practices, it has been established that at least 10 percent of surgeries have vapour concentrations greater than 0.05 mg per cubic meter and the occupants are therefore at risk of mercury toxicity. But how sure are we of the TLV guidelines ?

http://www.mercurysafety.co.uk/mercdent.htm

=================================================================






As the result of poor dental care/hygiene as a child, I have a mouth full of amalgam fillings which I do not intend to have yanked or drilled out. But I am intend to do my best to avoid any more!

It would also seem that dentists have as high a risk of mercury exposure as do we patients. Most dentists are careful, intelligent humans who have weighed their risks....we should hope.

As a person with debilitating health problems, many issues are of concern to me and this one is 'bothersome'.

[Unca Jim]

25. And, unless you have a philosopher's stone in your mouth...

that much vapor would mean that the mercury would be *gone* in a few days.

I suppose you could be putting more in your mouth somehow...or gnomes could or something.