[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/new-research-confirms-the-majority-of-americans-mercury-exposure-from-dental-amalgam-mercury-fillings-exceeds-california-safety-limit\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/new-research-confirms-the-majority-of-americans-mercury-exposure-from-dental-amalgam-mercury-fillings-exceeds-california-safety-limit\/","headline":"NEW RESEARCH CONFIRMS THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS MERCURY EXPOSURE FROM DENTAL AMALGAM MERCURY FILLINGS EXCEEDS CALIFORNIA SAFETY LIMIT","name":"NEW RESEARCH CONFIRMS THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS MERCURY EXPOSURE FROM DENTAL AMALGAM MERCURY FILLINGS EXCEEDS CALIFORNIA SAFETY LIMIT","description":"Daily mercury vapor doses from amalgams were in excess of California\u2019s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety limit for about 86 million adults","datePublished":"2022-06-14","dateModified":"2022-06-14","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/author\/moore\/#Person","name":"International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology","url":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/author\/moore\/","identifier":1240,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/bfc92e3fae46f1c852ba2a2990470c47.jpg?ver=1778606765","url":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/bfc92e3fae46f1c852ba2a2990470c47.jpg?ver=1778606765","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\/mercury-mouth-w-arrows-V2.jpg","url":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/mercury-mouth-w-arrows-V2.jpg","height":1672,"width":1780},"url":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/new-research-confirms-the-majority-of-americans-mercury-exposure-from-dental-amalgam-mercury-fillings-exceeds-california-safety-limit\/","about":["Press Releases"],"wordCount":561,"articleBody":"CHAMPIONSGATE, FL, June 14, 2022\/PRNewswire\/ — The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) is raising awareness of research linking highly significant elemental mercury excretion to the presence of dental amalgam fillings in the mouth. These so-called \u201csilver\u201d fillings also called amalgams are actually 50% or more mercury and are widely used in the United States, in all branches of the military, low-cost insurance and disadvantaged children and adults.In the present study, researchers David and Mark Geier reviewed the urinary mercury excretion of over 150 million Americans using the CDC\u2019s 2015-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination survey (NHANES). The Geiers\u2019 found a highly significant relationship between the number of dental amalgam filling surfaces in the mouth and amounts of mercury excreted. They compared the amounts of mercury being excreted to the current mercury minimum risk levels of both the US EPA and California\u2019s EPA.It is important to note that the number of surfaces is not the same as the number of fillings. Each tooth has five surfaces, which means that a person with only one filling could have up to five surfaces.Of the 91 million (57.8%) adults who had 1 or more surfaces of mercury fillings, the amount of mercury in their urine correlated significantly with the number of surfaces of amalgam. The Geiers\u2019 wrote that, \u201cDaily Hg vapor doses from amalgams were in excess of the most protective California\u2019s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety limit for about 86 million (54.3%) adults\u201d. The US EPA minimum risk level (MRL) for mercury is considerably higher than CalEPA\u2019s MRL due to the fact that by statute CalEPA\u2019s MRL must protect the vulnerable, not the average. However, 16 million adults are exposed to levels of mercury greater than the US EPA\u2019s MRL.Similar information about excessive exposure was presented by the IAOMT at the FDA expert hearing on the safety of amalgam in 2010 and one dentist on the panel asked the experts from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) how much over the MRL can you go and still be safe. Dr. Richard Kennedy of ATSDR explained that one cannot exceed the MRL and still expect to be safe.In September 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated risks of dental amalgam fillings for susceptible groups and identified fetal exposure during pregnancy as the most critical exposure and recommends no amalgam fillings for women from fetus to menopause because of that risk. Additionally, the FDA recommended that children, people with neurological disease such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer\u2019s disease or Parkinson\u2019s disease, people with impaired kidney function, and people with known heightened sensitivity (allergy) to mercury or other components of dental amalgam avoid having these mercury fillings placed.\u201cToxic mercury vapors are continually off-gassed from dental amalgam fillings with stimulation such as chewing,\u201d explains David Kennedy, DDS, Past IAOMT President. \u201cWith the Geiers\u2019 new research joining the ranks of hundreds of other studies, it is abundantly clear that mercury from amalgams pose a danger to everyone, including unborn babies, patients, dentists, and dental employees.\u201dThe Geiers\u2019 study was partially funded by the IAOMT, a non-profit organization that evaluates biocompatibility of dental products, including mercury filling risks.Contact: David Kennedy, DDS, IAOMT Public Relations Chair, info@iaomt.orgInternational Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT)Phone: (863) 420-6373; Website: www.iaomt.orgYou can read this press release on PR Newswire"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"NEW RESEARCH CONFIRMS THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS MERCURY EXPOSURE FROM DENTAL AMALGAM MERCURY FILLINGS EXCEEDS CALIFORNIA SAFETY LIMIT","item":"https:\/\/iaomt.org\/new-research-confirms-the-majority-of-americans-mercury-exposure-from-dental-amalgam-mercury-fillings-exceeds-california-safety-limit\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]