In a large U.S.CDC survey more than 10 % of infants had blood levels of mercury above the upper level of mercury exposure recommended by the German Commission on Human Biomonitoring of 10 micrograms per liter in the blood(54), and over 10% of women of childbearing age had blood levels above the WHO standard of 40 ug/L at which infants born would be at significant risk of developmental disabilities(1).The upper level of mercury exposure recommended by the German Commission on Human Biomonitoring is 10 micrograms per liter in the blood(54), but adverse effects such as increases in blood pressure and cognitive effects have been documented as low as 1 ug/L, with impacts higher in low birthweight babies(54).
While urine mercury correlates with inorganic mercury exposure and is a better measure than blood, urine mercury is an unreliable measure for those chronically exposed since mercury excretion through the kidneys deteriorates with cumulative exposure.
It apparently also is not widely understood that mercury commonly changes forms within the body, both from organic mercury to inorganic mercury and from inorganic mercury to organic mercury.
It has been demonstrated that bacteria in the mouth and intestines as well as yeast methylate inorganic mercury to organic mercury, and methylation of mercury from amalgam is the largest source of methyl mercury in most people with amalgam[11,16,31].
Some patients who eat no fish but have high levels of inorganic mercury exposure have been tested to have high levels of organic mercury in the body.
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