title: [Cremation and the environmental mercury burden].
abstract: The dental status of 130 deceased Zurich people was evaluated from radiographs of their maxillary and mandibular dentitions taken during their autopsies. A mean mass of mercury of 2.49 +/- 0.37 g was calculated per dentate deceased based on the analysis of 134 extracted premolars and molars with amalgam restorations. The mercury contamination due to cremation in 1988 in Switzerland was calculated to vary between 45.8 and 79.0 kg, based on both the data from the sample analyzed and the fact that 55.5% of Swiss funerals were cremations, the average age of death was 73 and that 70% of the people of that age retained some of their teeth. Mercury contamination by cremation, therefore comprised only 0.61 to 1.53% of the total mercury contamination produced by all waste incineration methods. The minimal contribution to the mercury contamination due to cremation can thus not be used as an argument to ban the use of dental amalgams.
authors: Abteilung für Präventivzahnmedizin, Parodontologie und Kariologie, Universität Zürich.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Rivola
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Krejci
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Imfeld
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Lutz
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D001344:Autopsy; D004245:DMF Index; D003723:Dental Amalgam / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D009027:Mortuary Practice; D011861:Radiography, Dental; D012307:Risk Factors; D013557:Switzerland
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D003723:Dental Amalgam; D008628:Mercury
vernacular_title: Feuerbestattung und Quecksilberumweltlast.