Selenium in the fish neutralizes the mercury in the fish?

[Iamme]

I read about this in todays USA newspaper edition. The author claimed that all this mercury fear is unfounded because of this. It was also stated that amalgram mercury fillings were okay because you only get about 1/5th of your daily intake through the fillings as you do through normal ingestion of water and other stuff.

BTW...in some recent post I made regarding nigertoes....where I said that you only need to eat 3 of them to get the requirement of........well, the substance was selenium.

 

[Silly Green Monkey]

Mercury in amalgam fillings does not get absorbed, it's bound into the filling. It's not like fillings are a shell filled with pure mercury.

 

[Kaylee]

Mercury in amalgam fillings does not get absorbed, it's bound into the filling.

I just did a search in the PubMed database and regrettably I couldn't find a study that supported that conclusion. Generally the studies I clicked on said the opposite, that the more dental amalgam fillings one has, the higher concentration of mercury in hir body.

Here's one example:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=3481133&query_hl=2&itool=pubmed_docsum

1: Swed Dent J. 1987;11(5):179-87. Links

Mercury concentrations in the human brain and kidneys in relation to exposure from dental amalgam fillings.

Nylander M, Friberg L, Lind B.

Department of Environmental Hygiene, Karolinska Institute, Sweden

Samples from the central nervous system (occipital lobe cortex, cerebellar cortex and ganglia semilunare) and kidney cortex were collected from autopsies and analysed for total mercury content using neutron activation analyses. Results from 34 individuals showed a statistically significant regression between the number of tooth surfaces containing amalgam and concentration of mercury in the occipital lobe cortex (mean 10.9, range 2.4-28.7 ng Hg/g wet weight).

<snip>

The kidney cortex from 7 amalgam carriers (mean 433, range 48-810 ng Hg/g wet weight) showed on average a significantly higher mercury level than those of 5 amalgam-free individuals (mean 49, range 21-105 ng Hg/g wet weight). In 6 cases analysis of both inorganic and total mercury was carried out. A high proportion (mean 77% SD 17%) of inorganic mercury was found. It is concluded that the cause of the association between amalgam load and accumulation of mercury in tissues is the release of mercury vapour from amalgam fillings.

Click on related studies and quite a few more pop up, most of them more recent studies.

Also, at least some states in the US require dental fillings with mercury to be treated as hazardous waste. I don't think they would do that if the mercury was safely bonded with the rest of the filling.

From the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection:

http://www.mass.gov/dep/service/dentalhg.htm

Half of all dental amalgam is comprised of mercury. Waste amalgam is created when new fillings are inserted and/or old fillings are removed. When material containing mercury is washed down the drain or thrown into the trash, mercury can be released into our air and water and can pose a threat to our health.

<snip>

What Rules Apply to Management of Mercury-bearing Dental Wastes?
<snip>

Disposal Rules: If you do not recycle, you should send your mercury-bearing waste to a hazardous waste facility for disposal. You should comply with the requirements of 310 CMR 30.353:

ETA: FWIW, the Swedish study also found that alcohol abuse was somewhat protective against the buildup of mercury in the human body :

In 9 cases with suspected alcohol abuse mercury levels in the occipital lobe were, in most cases, somewhat lower than expected based on the regression line.

 

[Zep]

The mercury is treated as hazardous waste because otherwise it would go into the normal trash and probably get burned...the PERFECT way to liberate mercury into the atmosphere!

 

[Kaylee]

That's interesting to know.

Any ideas as to why the Massachusetts Dept of Environmental Protection doesn't want the dental filings waste from the amalgam fillings to get washed down the drain? (quotes in post #3)

I also should probably point out that while the studies I looked at last night did say that people with amalgamted fillings had higher concentrations of mercury in their bodies, the studies didn't mention either way what the effect of the increased mercury was on the organs. In other words they didn't say that organs were damaged as a result, and they didn't say that the organs weren't damaged as a result. All they said was that the levels of mercury were higher.

 

[casebro]

That's interesting to know.

Any ideas as to why the Massachusetts Dept of Environmental Protection doesn't want the dental filings waste from the amalgam fillings to get washed down the drain? (quotes in post #3)

I also should probably point out that while the studies I looked at last night did say that people with amalgamted fillings had higher concentrations of mercury in their bodies, the studies didn't mention either way what the effect of the increased mercury was on the organs. In other words they didn't say that organs were damaged as a result, and they didn't say that the organs weren't damaged as a result. All they said was that the levels of mercury were higher.

Good point. Just exactly who is actually injured by the mercury in fish? And what are the illnesses?

I don't recall any links to cancer, or broken bones. I've never met anybody who said "they had to take out my hypfisysistical gland due to piscatorial mercury ingestion". Even the amalgam studies don't show any definitive link to illness or the fillings would be illegal, and they ain't.

 

[Iamme]

I'll bring in with me the USA Weekend edition so I can associate authors with what was said. There is other interesting health claims made as well. I know Jean Carper's name was on the page, but I don't know if she was the one who made all the various claims.

 

[joobz]

I just did a search in the PubMed database and regrettably I couldn't find a study that supported that conclusion. Generally the studies I clicked on said the opposite, that the more dental amalgam fillings one has, the higher concentration of mercury in hir body.

Compared to the total amount of merucry in fillings, the amount that actually makes it into your body is quite low. So the approximation of saying it is bound, isn't wrong. the assumption saying that none of it comes ot is.

With that said, there is absolutely no evidince for long term health effects from dental fillings. (barring acute inflammatory reactions that occur in a subset of the population.)
Now we must consider alternatives:
1.) composites, 2.) alternative metal fillings, 3.) no fillings at all.

We know 3. won't work. there are very strong correlations between bad teeth and bad health.

2.) Gold can be used, but is expensive and soft. Safety of other metals will still need to be determined.

1.) Composites (the most likely alternative for amalgam woos) is highly questionable.

• Last at best 5 years. Continual replacement errodes the teeth and may eventually require more expensive severe work done.
• formed by reaction of methylmethacylate and other acrylate monomers. These and especially oligomers) are known to induce oxidative stress causing local inflammation.
• these monomers (due to their oxidaitve stress behavior) are known to be carcinogens and mutagens.
• These small molecule players are known to leach out, and since they are organic, are almost entirely taken up by the body.

the key is that we do not have any evidence that the level of increase in merucry in the body is actually hazardous. Toxicity tends to work on a threshold type response. As long as we are belong the threshold, there isn't anything to worry about.

 

[joesixpack]

...BTW...in some recent post I made regarding nigertoes....

I hate to sound like some "holier-than-thou" political-correctness cop, but I think that you are referring to brazil nuts. You should probably use the correct name in the future to avoid giving any offense.

 

[Kaylee]

Compared to the total amount of merucry in fillings, the amount that actually makes it into your body is quite low.


<snip>

the key is that we do not have any evidence that the level of increase in merucry in the body is actually hazardous. Toxicity tends to work on a threshold type response. As long as we are belong the threshold, there isn't anything to worry about.

Thanks for posting joobz. What you say makes sense and I strongly suspect is correct. But still, I plan on researching this a bit more for myself before my next dentist appt., just in case he says I have a cavity!

 

[Kaylee]

I hate to sound like some "holier-than-thou" political-correctness cop,

You don't.

but I think that you are referring to brazil nuts. You should probably use the correct name in the future to avoid giving any offense.

I agree. Thanks for speaking up. I was feeling a little bit like some sort of accomplice to a stupid and extremely rude statement.