Physical and mental problems attributed to dental amalgam fillings: a descriptive study of 99 self-referred patients compared with 272 controls Malt UF, Nerdrum P, Oppedal B, Gundersen R, Holte M, Lone J (Department of Psychosomatic and Behavioural Medicine, National Hospital, Oslo, Norway.) "OBJECTIVE: The physical and mental symptomatology of 99 self-referred patients complaining of multiple somatic and mental symptoms attributed to dental amalgam fillings were compared with patients with known chronic medical disorders seen in alternative (N = 93) and ordinary (N = 99) medical family practices and patients with dental amalgam fillings (N = 80) seen in an ordinary dental practice. METHOD: The assessments included written self-reports, a l 31 -item somatic symptom checklist; Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire, and Toronto Alexithymia Scale. RESULTS: The dental amalgam sample reported significantly more physical symptoms from all body regions. Self-reports suggested that 62% suffered from a chronic anxiety disorder (generalized anxiety disorder or panic). Forty-seven percent suffered from a major depression compared with 14% in the two clinical-comparison samples and none in the dental control sample. Symptoms suggesting somatization disorder were found in 29% of the dental amalgam sample compared with only one subject in the 272 comparison subjects. One third of the dental amalgam patients reported symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome compared with none in the dental control sample and only 2 and 6%, respectively, in the two clinical comparison samples. The dental amalgam group reported higher mean neuroticism and lower lie scores than the comparison groups. CONCLUSION: Self-referred patients with health complaints attributed to dental amalgam are a heterogeneous group of patients who suffer multiple symptoms and frequently have mental disorders. There is a striking similarity with the multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome." Psychosom Med 1997 Jan;59(1):32-41 A US Government Document Admits That Mercury Vapors From Silver Fillings Exceeds The Minimum Risk Levels Established By The US Department Of Health & Human Services! As always controversies exist when those who are in opposition are ignorant of the facts. The facts are now clear. Buried in the 351 page document "Toxicological Profile For Mercury (Update) May 1994 published by the US Department of Health & Human Services the scientific truth has finally been divulged. On page 125 of this document it states: "A report from the Committee to Coordinate Environmental Health and Related Programs (CCEHRP) of the Department of Health and Human Services determined that "measurement of mercury in blood among subjects with and without amalgam restorations... and subjects before and after amalgams were removed... provided the best estimates of daily intake from amalgam dental restorations. These values are in the range of 1-5 ug/day (Dept. of Human Health & Services 1993, page III-29). The chronic inhalation Minimal Risk Level is 0.014 ug/m3....The proposed acute Minimal Risk Level is 0.02 ug/m3. Thus, both MRL's are below estimated levels from dental amalgams." According to the World Health Organization the general sources of mercury in the body are: Breathed Air (.040 micrograms), Fish (2.34 micrograms), Non-fish food (.25 micrograms), Drinking-water .0035 micrograms), mercury vapor from dental amalgams (3 to 17 micrograms). The mercury vapor from dental amalgam alone is a bigger source than all the other sources together.