Exposure of Dental Workers to Mercury

Mercury vapor poisoning aboard HMS Triumph and HMS Phipps

Exposure of Dental Workers to Mercury
The work environment and procedures of twenty-three dentists and their assistants were surveyed for the existence of potential health hazards which could be associated with the preparation of mercury amalgam fillings. Data were collected on the work environment, ventilation, individual procedures, and hazard awareness related to the removal of old amalgam fillings as well as the preparation of new fillings. The results indicated that the greatest potential hazard may result from contamination of hands after working with mercury metal or fresh amalgam. Respirable dust, in terms of total concentration and mercury content, was also significant.

Mercury vapor poisoning aboard HMS Triumph and HMS Phipps
In 1810, two British ships, HMS Triumph and HMS Phipps, salvaged a large load of elemental mercury from a wrecked Spanish vessel near Cadiz, Spain. The bladders containing the mercury soon ruptured. The element spread about the ships in liquid and vapor forms. The sailors presented with neurologic compromises: tremor, paralysis, and excessive salivation as well as tooth loss, skin problems, and pulmonary complaints. The events are reviewed in the context of what was known about mercury vapor inhalation.