Neurobehavioral effects from exposure to dental amalgam Hgo: new distinctions between recent exposure and Hg body burden

Diana Echeverria; H. Vasken Aposhian; James S. Woods; Nicholas J. Heyer; Mary M. Aposhian; Alvah C. Bittner; Roderick K. Mahurin; Margaret Cianciola

Neurobehavioral effects from exposure to dental amalgam Hg^o: new distinctions between recent exposure and Hg body burden

¹Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA
²Department of Environmental Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
³Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
⁴Department of Psychiatry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA

Correspondence: Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation, 4000 NE 41st St., Seattle, WA 98105, USA

Abstract

Potential toxicity from exposure to mercury vapor (Hg^o) from dental amalgam fillings is the subject of current public health debate in many countries. We evaluated potential central nervous system (CNS) toxicity associated with handling Hg-containing amalgam materials among dental personnel with very low levels of Hg^o exposure (i.e., urinary Hg <4 μg/l), applying a neurobehavioral test battery to evaluate CNS functions in relation to both recent exposure and Hg body burden. New distinctions between subtle preclinical effects on symptoms, mood, motor function, and cognition were found associated with Hg body burden as compared with those associated with recent exposure. The pattern of results, comparable to findings previously reported among subjects with urinary Hg >50 μg/l, presents convincing new evidence of adverse behavioral effects associated with low Hg^o exposures within the range of that received by the general population.—Echeverria, D., Aposhian, H. V., Woods, J. S., Heyer, N. J., Aposhian, M. M., Bittner, A. C., Jr., Mahurin, R. K. Neurobehavioral effects from exposure to dental amalgam Hg^o: new distinctions between recent exposure and Hg body burden. FASEB J. 12, 971–980 (1998);