Mercury burden and health impairment in dental auxilaries. Final report

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6688288

Shapiro, I M; Bloch, P; Ship, I I; Spitz, L; Summer, A

An effort was made to develop a safe and effective x-ray fluorescence system for monitoring mercury and other elements in human tissues in-situ, to determine mercury levels in 207 dental auxiliaries exposed to dental amalgam on the job, to evaluate mercury in matching nonexposed populations and in 298 dentists using mercury amalgam, and to evaluate deficiencies in central and peripheral nervous systems resulting from the mercury exposure. Mercury levels were below 20 micrograms/gram in 60% of the dentists and 90% of the dental auxiliaries. Dentists with the higher mercury concentrations in their heads or wrists had considerably longer median motor distal latencies and median F-wave latency. Five of them demonstrated abnormalities consistent with carpal tunnel syndrome; seven had polyneuropathies defined as reduced motor or sensory conduction velocities of response amplitudes in two or more nerves. Neuropsychological tests indicated both groups of dental workers were adversely affected by mercury exposure.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6688288
• Report Number(s): PB-88-247960/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550900* -- Pathology
552000 -- Public Health
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
ALLOYS
BODY BURDEN
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
DENTISTRY
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELEMENTS
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
MATERIALS
MEDICINE
MERCURY ALLOYS
METALS
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
PROGRESS REPORT