Mercury loading from amalgam fillings Wirz J, Ivanovic D, Schmidli F. (Abteilung fur Zahnarztliche Technologie, Universitat Basel.) "Using flameless atom absorption spectroscopy, blood and urine samples were taken from four test groups and examined for their mercury content. Two of the participating groups tested (dentists and assistants) were actively processing mercury while the other two, one with and one without amalgam fillings, served as control groups. In the daily preparation of amalgam, dental staff working in the dental office were subject to greater exposure to mercury vapors. Their blood readings, therefore, were double those of the control group, while their urine readings were much higher than those for people not working with mercury. The two control groups (with and without amalgam fillings) showed no significance difference in mercury levels, which implies that these slight traces of mercury can be attributed to food and the environment. Particular measures must be taken to guarantee the safety of office staff." Schweiz Monatsschr Zahnmed 1990;100(11):1292-1298