Forskning visar kvicksilver är en potentiell orsak till Alzheimers. Artikel på engelska läs mer nedan.

Consumers for Dental Choice

Research Shows Mercury to be a Potential Cause for Alzheimer’s Disease

In an article to be published in the November 15th issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease1, researchers have found that mercury is likely to be one of the multiple causes of Alzheimer’s disease. Mercury is one of the most toxic natural substances. It poses a danger to humans and may lead to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. After a systematic review of existing experimental and clinical research literature, researchers associated with the Viadrina European University, the Samueli Institute (Virginia, USA), Northeastern University (Boston, MA, USA) and the University Hospital Freiburg found that the symptoms and features of Alzheimer’s disease were reproduced or accelerated when mercury was introduced.

Mercury binds tightly to selenium, a naturally occurring metal found in our diet that is important for good health. Proteins associated with selenium form a class of molecules that help prevent damage due to oxidative stress, which is the stress that occurs when metabolism takes place. Oxidative stress leads to cell death and thus aging. When mercury binds to selenium, this process may be accelerated, as are other degenerative processes in the brain.

The experimental research literature indicates that animal and cell models reproduce all the features of Alzheimer’s disease when mercury is given. For instance, one of the more widely-known uses of mercury is in amalgam dental fillings, the most common type of fillings used by dentists. Studies of low-dose human exposure, such as to dentists and their staff, show that exposure to mercury is significantly correlated with neurological or psychological harm, or both.

Mercury can be introduced to the body in several ways because it evaporates at room temperatures. It can be taken up as a gas, reaching the brain directly, via the nose or indirectly via the blood. It then crosses the blood-brain barrier and gets trapped inside the brain, where it can accumulate over long periods of time.

“The situation is similar to the early 1970’s regarding smoking: enough experimental evidence existed, but human studies were inconclusive at the time and were under attack by groups with a vested interest,” said Professor Harald Walach, PhD, Viadrina European University and Samueli Institute Fellow. “To wait until irrefutable evidence has accumulated is not the best option in view of what we already know about the toxicity of mercury. The removal of inorganic mercury from ecological cycles might prove to be the easiest and most effective public health measure to contribute to the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.”

Exposure to Mercury from Dental Fillings Exceeds Safe Levels – 122.3 Million at Risk – CHAMPIONS, FL, November 26, 2010— A new risk assessment report submitted by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology this month to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that that mercury from dental fillings is estimated to cause 67.2 million Americans to exceed the Reference Exposure Level (REL) of 0.3 ug/m3 established by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) in 1995.

If the more protective REL of 0.03 ug/m3 established in 2008 by the California Environmental Protection Agency is used, then the current safe-dose is probably exceeded by 122.3 million Americans

Dental fillings referred to by dentists as “amalgam” or “silver” are actually 50% mercury. A 2006 Zogby poll indicated that 76% of Americans were not aware that silver fillings are half mercury.

Contrary to FDA’s 2009 ruling that exposure from mercury fillings presents no health risks, the latest assessment, by lead author G. Mark Richardson, PhD, of SNC-Lavalin, concludes that the mercury vapor continually emitted from these fillings is absorbed and distributed into every tissue and organ in the body including the brain. Chronic (long-term) exposure to elemental mercury can cause kidney damage, crosses the blood brain barrier and is neurotoxic.

Prompted by four petitions challenging its 2009 no-risk classification, FDA scheduled public hearings December 14-15 to review the science related to the health risks of mercury fillings, particularly for pregnant women, children and other sensitive populations. The report states “Numerous studies have demonstrated that Hg levels in blood are increased in persons, including pregnant women, with amalgam.” Dr. Richardson’s report explores how the release of mercury vapor from fillings in a mother’s mouth can cause harm to the fetus via cord blood and infant children via breast milk.

Adding to the significance of the SNC report, a review of more than 100 studies published

November, 2010 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease confirmed that mercury is likely a contributing cause of Alzheimer’s, a disease at epidemic proportions affecting an estimated 5.3 million Americans.

The Report concludes “….it is essential that precaution be applied in the determination of updated and revised reference exposure levels for the protection of public health.” The use of mercury in dentistry has already been banned in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.