[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/for-professionals\/occupational-mercury-exposure\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/for-professionals\/occupational-mercury-exposure\/","headline":"Occupational Dental Mercury Exposure","name":"Occupational Dental Mercury Exposure","description":"Why should dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and other dental staff be concerned about occupational exposures to mercury from dental amalgam? Dentists, dental staff, and dental students are exposed to mercury at a greater rate than their patients. Severe exposures from past practices include hand-squeezing of fresh amalgam, where drops of liquid mercury could run  [...]","datePublished":"2016-10-08","dateModified":"2023-05-01","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/author\/farrah\/#Person","name":"Farrah Brennan","url":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/author\/farrah\/","identifier":633,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/4204d418cc24974aa41d2dd76261286c.jpg?ver=1777397511","url":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/4204d418cc24974aa41d2dd76261286c.jpg?ver=1777397511","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/IAOMT-Schema-app-logo.jpg","url":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/IAOMT-Schema-app-logo.jpg","width":120,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/infographics_drill-1.jpg","url":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/infographics_drill-1.jpg","height":532,"width":950},"url":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/for-professionals\/occupational-mercury-exposure\/","video":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sZoDDX0i3wA#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sZoDDX0i3wA","name":"Occupational Exposure to Dental Mercury Contaminated Particulate Matter from Amalgam Tooth Fillings","description":"Occupational Exposure to Dental Mercury Contaminated Particulate Matter. Mark Richardson PhD\n\nMark Richardson PhD (formerly of Health Canada) discusses his study, \"Inhalation of mercury-contaminated particulate matter by dentists\" published in the Journal of Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, which examined the amount of mercury contaminated particulate matter dentists are exposed to from the removal of amalgam fillings. This respirable particulate matter represents the vast majority of daily Hg exposure in practicing dentists,  which can often exceed OSHA safety limits.\n\nWhen we asked Mark Richardson...\"would patients be equally exposed\", here was his response...\n\nNot exactly. Although any given patient would have the same particulate exposure during a removal, and exposure to the same vapor concentration in the breathing zone during the removal, the patient would not be exposed to the particulate of 4 removals per day (average used in paper) nor would the patient be exposed to the Hg vapor in the office air throughout the remainder of the working day (as assumed for the dentist). Finally, the patient would not be exposed day in and day out to the particulate.\n\nIn very approximate terms, the patient having a single removal would be exposed to approx 1\/4th of the average daily exposure estimated for a dentist. However, the patient exposure would be considered 'acute' (single 'dose' or very short term duration) rather than chronic. Therefore the determination of risk would be very different, and would be considered much less serious than an equivalent exposure that continues daily over years.","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/sZoDDX0i3wA\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/sZoDDX0i3wA\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/sZoDDX0i3wA\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/sZoDDX0i3wA\/sddefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2016-01-04T06:00:20+00:00","duration":"PT2M28S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sZoDDX0i3wA","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC3XhmflbYOR-j7JiBY_Obww#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC3XhmflbYOR-j7JiBY_Obww","name":"Evidence of Harm","description":"Evidence of Harm is a documentary exposing the devastating effects of dental mercury to patients, dental staff and the global environment.\n\nThe film follows the lives of three health advocates as they struggle to inform the federal government and public that large amounts of toxic mercury vapors are released from \"silver\" amalgam dental fillings during routine dental procedures. \n\nThe film presents a haunting portrait of a dental industry all too willing to turn a blind eye to science while placing profits and politics ahead of dental patient's health.","logo":{"url":"https:\/\/yt3.ggpht.com\/ytc\/AIdro_mu5V6ET8cUryUSwzxOAc5IUoPiX7L2PAz1FVqA0u4SYw=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj","width":800,"height":800,"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sZoDDX0i3wA#VideoObject_publisher_logo_ImageObject"}},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sZoDDX0i3wA#VideoObject_potentialAction","target":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sZoDDX0i3wA&t={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"},"interactionStatistic":[[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sZoDDX0i3wA#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_WatchAction","interactionType":{"@type":"WatchAction"},"userInteractionCount":2143}],{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sZoDDX0i3wA#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_LikeAction","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":21}]}},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/for-professionals\/occupational-mercury-exposure\/#BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"For Professionals","item":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/for-professionals\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Occupational Dental Mercury Exposure","item":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/for-professionals\/occupational-mercury-exposure\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]