Adverse health effects related to mercury exposure from dental amalgam fillings: toxicological or psychological causes?

Abstract

While our results do not support an organic explanation of the reported symptoms, they are well in accord with the notion of a psychological aetiology of the reported symptoms and complaints. The findings suggest that self-diagnosed 'amalgam illness' is a label for a general tendency toward somatization.

Relationship between mercury levels in blood and urine and complaints of chronic mercury toxicity from amalgam restorations

“…The fi ndings could also be explained as due to negative confounding by better access to NHS dental care for the MS group or a high caries incidence (unrelated to MS) as reported by McGrother et al 31 The study group in our report shared most of the physical symptoms and demographic features reported in earlier studies. 11 Even in this small sample we could infer that somatisation of perceived symptoms was a common fi nding.…”

“…11 However, many subjects reporting symptoms with dental amalgam toxicity were found to have severe somatisation syndromes. 11 Some of the reported characteristics of acute mercury (Hg) poisoning include neurotoxicity, cardiomyopathies, kidney damage and respiratory failure due to necrotising bronchitis and pneumonitis. 12 Dental amalgam has been reported as a possible source of mercury nephrotoxicity.…”

L'hypersensibilité à l'électricité : une approche multidisciplinaire pour un problème multifactoriel. Revue de la littérature

“…S'il existe un chevauchement au niveau de la prévalence de personnes qui se décri-vent comme hypersensibles aux champs électriques et magné-tiques et intolérantes aux amalgames (Hillert, 2002a), aucun effet combiné de ces deux facteurs n'a pu être démontré jusqu'à présent. Par ailleurs, l'intervention de facteurs explicatifs d'ordre psychologique est également soulignée dans les symptômes rapportés par les personnes qui se plaignent d'effets sur la santé liés aux amalgames dentaires (Bailer et al, 2001). D'autres agents chimiques tels que les retardateurs de flamme présents dans les ordinateurs et autres appareils électroniques font également partie des facteurs cités dans l'origine de l'HE, sans qu'aucune relation causale n'ait été démontrée actuellement.…”

New Environmental Illnesses: What Are Their Characteristics?

“…Other illnesses relate to more specific environmental factors. They include Gulf War Syndrome [2], syndromes related to dental amalgam [3]and silicone breast implants [4], electrical hypersensitivity [5], sick building syndrome [6], including toner-related illness, and so-called painter-related encephalopathy [7]. The list seems to get longer by the year.…”