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DAMS Intl. - Bernie Windham - Ed.
The papers that can be linked to on this page have over 4,000 medical studies or Government Agency studies that document that:
1. 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.
2. Most people with several fillings get significant daily exposures to mercury that exceed Government Health Guidelines for Mercury Exposure.
3. The main reasons for common high exposures of mercury and other toxic metals from amalgam are mercury's negative vapor pressure which means that it is constantly vaporizing plus the galvanic currents (battery effect) created in the mouth by mixed metals that pumps mercury into the gums, jawbone, oral mucosa, and systemically is carried throughout the body by the blood and nerves. Additionally electromagnetic fields (EMF) from appliances such as computer monitors and motors create currents in metal in the mouth that increases galvanism and exposure to metals such as mercury.
4. 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, etc., as well as dose.
5. 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.
6. 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.
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, and 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. See www.altcorp.com
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. 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. 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. Mercury from dental office and human excretion from those with amalgam fillings has been found to be a significant source of mercury into the rivers and lakes significant enough to result in warnings regarding mercury levels in fish, to the extent that the mercury levels from amalgam results in higher levels of mercury in the water of home sewers 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.
Contact info: DAMS Intl, 1043 Grand Ave, #317 St. Paul MN 55105 651-644-4572
Kids Developmental Effects Page
DAMS Page- Florida Chapter, Technical Documentation Page
FDA Amalgam Docket Review Page