Putting dental mercury pollution into perspective.
This paper deals with the issue of amalgam waste from dental offices. The aim is to put into perspective the very small contribution of dental mercury to the overall volume of mercury discharged into the environment each year. While the amount discharged from dental offices is very small compared to other sources, the amount discharged into the environment from amalgam fillings in people's mouths is estimated as less than 2% of the amount from dental offices. At least 50% of mercury in the environment comes from natural sources. The major source of man-made mercury pollution is the industrial burning of fossil fuels. It is important to distinguish between inorganic mercury and organic mercury in terms of the impact on the health of the population.
Jones
D W
DW
Division of Biomaterials, Dalhousie University, 5981 University Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3J5. d.w.jones@dal.ca
D003723:Dental Amalgam / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D003770:Dental Offices; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent; D018057:Dental Waste / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D004990:Ethics, Dental; D005579:Fossil Fuels; D006801:Humans; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000009:adverse effects; D008628:Mercury / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis* / Q000145:classification; D008630:Mercury Poisoning / Q000209:etiology
D018057:Dental Waste; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005579:Fossil Fuels; D007220:Industrial Waste; D003723:Dental Amalgam; D008628:Mercury