INFERTILITY, BIRTH DEFECTS, AND FETAL DEVELOPMENTAL EFFECTS RELATED TO MERCURY FROM DENTAL FILLINGS VI

The most common source of maternal exposure to mercury vapor, as previously shown, is amalgam fillings, while the most common sources of methyl mercury in people are amalgam(31) and fish. Both have been demonstrated to cause rapid transmittal through the placenta to the fetus [14,15,34-51/52-54]. The fetal mercury content after maternal inhalation of mercury vapor was found to be over 20 times that for maternal exposure to an equivalent dose of inorganic mercury[48-50], and levels of mercury in the brain, heart, and major organs have been found to be higher after equal exposure levels to mercury vapor than for the other mercury forms [8,55]. Some developmental and behavioral effects from mercury vapor have been found at levels considerably below that required for similar effects by methyl mercury [10,38,49,56-58]. The studies reviewed found that mercury vapor and organic mercury have independent and synergistic toxic and developmental effects along with those of other toxic metals such as nickel, palladium, gold, and cadmium, and that additionally conversions occur in the body between the various forms of mercury[16,59]. Extensive immune system tests for populations of patients with chronic autoimmune diseases such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or chronic neurological conditions have also demonstrated that a much higher percentage of the patients have autoimmune reactions to inorganic mercury than to organic mercury, and that immune reactivities and symptoms improve in the majority of cases when amalgam fillings are replaced[16,59]