From: M.M. Van Benschoten, O.M.D. [mmvbs@earthlink.net]
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2001 12:28 PM
To: fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: Roundtable forum on mercury toxicity from dental amalgam
Dr. Feigel, Director, FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health

Dear Dr. Feigel,

Ms. Freya Koss requested that I forward to you my personal experience regarding dental mercury toxicity over 20 years of clinical practice treating chronically ill patients who have failed conventional treatments.  Both clinical and laboratory data support the fact that dental mercury can cause toxicity at levels far exceeding industrial exposures, as high as 40 times "normal" values.  The response of these patients to amalgam removal and mercury detoxification further supports our impression that mercury amalgam is a neurotoxic, immunotoxic hazard that can contribute to serious and disabling illness.  Below is a summary of our findings and relevant research.

sincerely,

M.M. Van Benschoten, O.M.D., M.A. C.A.
Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Board Certified Acupuncturist

Mercury Toxicity and Chinese Medicine
Because acupuncturists are often the last resort for chronically ill patients, we see many cases where mercury toxicity from dental fillings causes recurrent infection, neurological disease, and autoimmune disorders including chronic sinusitis, Menieres disease, optic neuritis, acute transverse myelitis, peripheral neuropathy, trigeminal neuralgia, Bells palsy, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinsons disease, ulcerative colitis, recurrent urinary tract infections, interstitial cystitis, kidney failure, hypertension, etc. Removal of amalgam alone cannot restore these patients to health, unless followed with extensive treatment to assist clearance of mercury residuals in the brain, sinuses, lungs, intestines, kidneys, and vascular system, and treatment of chronic infection and autoimmunity. To refute statements by the American Dental Association, World Health Organization, and Mayo Clinic insisting on the safety of dental mercury, we offer the following citations from the medical literature on  mercury toxicity from dental amalgams.

TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

We do not recommend removal of amalgam without examination and evaluation to determine which fillings are decayed, fractured, or leaking. Only in those cases where chronic infection or neurological disease is non-responsive to more conservative measures do we consider amalgam removal, and then only when amalgam toxicity can be repeatedly demonstrated to be a contributing cause by acupoint diagnostics. We do not recommend removal of all amalgams at once, but rather prefer to identify those fillings with decay, and remove no more than three fillings at a single dental visit, with a rubber dam, high speed suction and continuous water bath, and oxygen mask used throughout the removal procedure. Replacements may include composite fillings or high noble crowns, as long as the crowns are not placed in proximity to any remaining amalgam. When nutritional supplements and chelation fail to produce a return to good health, we find that individualized Chinese herbal prescriptions can address mercury induced autoimmunity and resistant bacterial, fungal, and viral infections, restoring neurotransmitter, immune system, and hormonal balance. We find mercury toxic patients rarely tolerate acupuncture treatment, so we avoid the use of needles until removal and detoxification are complete.

MERCURY TOXICITY REFERENCES

Komulainen, H. "Neurotoxicity of Methylmercury: Cellular and Subcellular Aspects" Metal Neurotoxicity, CRC Press 1988 pp167-77
Enwonwu, C.O. "Potential Health Hazard of Use of Mercury in Dentistry: Critical Review of the Literature" Environmental Research 42, 257-274 1987
Hahn, L.J., et.al. "Dental "silver" tooth fillings: a source of mercury exposure revealed by whole body image scan and tissue analysis "The FASEB Journal, Vol 3. Dec 1989
Hahn, L.J. et.al. "Whole body imaging of the distribution of mercury released from dental fillings into monkey tissues" The FASEB Journal. Vol. 4 Nov 1990
Lorscheider, FL; Vimy, MJ; Pendergrass, JC; Haley, BE.Mercury Vapor Exposure Inhibits Tubulin Binding to GTP In Rat Brain: A Molecular Lesion Also Present in Human Alzheimer Brain. FASEB J. 9(4): A-3845. FASEB Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, 10th March 1995.
Osterblad M, Leistevuo J, Leistevuo T, Jarvinen H, Pyy L, Tenovuo J & Huovinen P. Antimicrobial and Mercury Resistance in Aerobic Gram-Negative Bacilli in Fecal Flora among Persons with and without Dental Amalgam Fillings. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy 39(11):2499 (1995) 
Siblerud RL, Motl J & Kienholz E. Evidence that Mercury from Silver Dental Fillings May Be An Etiological Factor in Depression, Excessive Anger, and Anxiety. Psychol Rep 74(1):67-80 (1994) 
Siblerud RL A comparison of mental health of multiple sclerosis patients with silver/mercury dental fillings and those with fillings removed. Psychol Rep, 70: 3 Pt 2, 1992 Jun, 1139-51
Siblerud RL; Kienholz E Evidence that mercury from silver dental fillings may be an etiological factor in multiple sclerosis. Sci Total Environ, 142: 3, 1994 Mar 15, 191-205
Vimy, M.J. et.al. "Estimation of Mercury Body Burden from Dental Amalgam: Computer Simulation of a Metabolic Compartmental Model" Journal of Dental Research 65(12):1415-1419 Dec 1986
Vimy, M.J. and Lorscheider, F.L. "Dental Amalgam Mercury Daily Dose Estimated from Intra-Oral Vapor Measurements: A Predictor of Mercury Accumulation in Human Tissues" The Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine 3:111-123 (1990)
Vimy, M.J. et.al. "Maternal-Fetal Distribution of Mercury (203Hg) Released from Dental Amalgam Fillings" The American Physiological Society 1990
Summers, A.O. et.al. "Mercury Released from Dental Silver Fillings Provokes an Increase in Mercury and Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Oral and Intestinal Floras of Primates" Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Apr. 1993 P. 825-834 
Pamphlett R, Slater M, Thomas S Department of Pathology, The University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Oxidative damage to nucleic acids in motor neurons containing mercury. J Neurol Sci 1998 Aug 14;159(2):121-6
Schionning JD, Larsen JO, Tandrup T, Braendgaard H Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Anatomy, University of Aarhus, Denmark.Selective degeneration of dorsal root ganglia and dorsal nerve roots in methyl mercury-intoxicated rats: a stereological study. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 1998 Aug;96(2):191-201
Schionning JD, Larsen JO, Eide R Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Anatomy, University of Aarhus, Denmark.A stereological study of dorsal root ganglion cells and nerve root fibers from rats exposed to mercury vapor. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 1998 Aug;96(2):185-90
Mercury in human colostrum and early breast milk. Its dependence on dental amalgam and other factors. J Trace Elem Med Biol 1998 Mar;12(1):23-7 Drasch G, Aigner S, Roider G, Staiger F, Lipowsky G Institute of Forensic Medicine, Munich, Germany
Shenker BJ, Guo TL, Shapiro IM Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine and the Institute for Environmental Studies, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Low-level methylmercury exposure causes human T-cells to undergo apoptosis: evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction. Environ Res 1998 May; 77(2):149-59
Drexler H, Schaller KH Institute and Out-patient Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine of the University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schillerstrasse 25/29, Erlangen, D-91054, Germany The mercury concentration in breast milk resulting from amalgam fillings and dietary habits. Environ Res 1998 May;77(2):124-9. 
Pamphlett R, Png FY Department of Pathology, The University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Shrinkage of motor axons following systemic exposure to inorganic mercury. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 1998 Apr;57(4):360-6
Yanagisawa H[HgCl2-induced acute renal failure and its pathophysiology].[Article in Japanese] Department of Hygiene & Preventive Medicine, Saitama Medical School, Japan. Nippon Eiseigaku Zasshi 1998 Jan;52(4):618-23
Hultman P, Johansson U, Dagnaes-Hansen F Departments of Pathology, Linkoping University, Sweden. Murine mercury-induced autoimmunity: the role of T-helper cells. J Autoimmun 1995 Dec;8(6):809-23
Wataha JC, Nakajima H, Hanks CT, Okabe T Department of Prosthodontics and Department of Oral Pathology, Medicine & Surgery, The University of Michigan, School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor 48109-1078, USA. Correlation of cytotoxicity with element release from mercury- and gallium-based dental alloys in vitro. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 1994 Jul;127(1):83-90 Dent Mater 1994 Sep;10(5):298-303 
Ariza ME, Holliday J, Williams MV Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Ohio State University College of Medicine Columbus 43210. Mutagenic effect of mercury (II) in eukaryotic cells. In Vivo 1994 Jul-Aug;8(4):559-63 
Betti C, Barale R, Pool-Zobel BL Institute for Hygiene and Toxicology, Federal Research Center for Nutrition, Karlsruhe, Germany. Comparative studies on cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of two organic mercury compounds in lymphocytes and gastric mucosa cells of Sprague-Dawley rats. Environ Mol Mutagen 1993;22(3):172-80 
Shenker BJ, Berthold P, Decker S, Mayro J, Rooney C, Vitale L, Shapiro IM Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Philadelphia 19104-6002. Immunotoxic effects of mercuric compounds on human lymphocytes and monocytes. II. Alterations in cell viability. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol 1992;14(3):555-77
Leyshon K, Morgan AJSchool of Pure and Applied Biology, University of Wales College of Cardiff, U.K. An integrated study of the morphological and gross-elemental consequences of methyl mercury intoxication in rats, with particular attention on the cerebellum. Scanning Microsc 1991 Sep;5(3):895-904
Ilback NG Toxicology Laboratory, National Food Administration, Uppsala, Sweden. Effects of methyl mercury exposure on spleen and blood natural killer (NK) cell activity in the mouse. Toxicology 1991 Mar 25;67(1):117-24
Sarafian T, Hagler J, Vartavarian L, Verity MA Department of Pathology, UCLA Center for the Health Sciences 90024-1732. Rapid cell death induced by methyl mercury in suspension of cerebellar granule neurons. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 1989 Jan;48(1):1-10
Pelletier L, Pasquier R, Rossert J, Vial MC, Mandet C, Druet PInstitut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale, Hopital Broussais, Paris, France. Autoreactive T cells in mercury-induced autoimmunity. Ability to induce the autoimmune disease. J Immunol 1988 Feb 1;140(3):750-4 
Cantoni O, Christie NT, Robison SH, Costa M Characterization of DNA lesions produced by HgCl2 in cell culture systems. Chem Biol Interact 1984 Apr;49(1-2):209-24 
Cantoni O, Costa M Correlations of DNA strand breaks and their repair with cell survival following acute exposure to mercury(II) and X-rays. Mol Pharmacol 1983 Jul;24(1):84-9
Cantoni O, Evans RM, Costa M Similarity in the acute cytotoxic response of mammalian cells to mercury (II) and X-rays: DNA damage and glutathione depletion. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1982 Sep 30;108(2):614-9
WWW AMALGAM LINKS
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pcsol (UK Amalgam page)
http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/markthomas/9701/0089.html (Dental Amalgam FAQ)
http://www.vimy-dentistry.com/(Dr Vimys page)
http://www.algonet.se/~leif/AmFAQigr.html(A good FAQ on the subject)
http://emporium.turnpike.net/P/PDHA/health.htm (IAOMT's web page)
http://home.sol.no/reiersol/amalgam.htm (Recent amalgam research)
http://vest.gu.se/~bosse/MercuryPage.html (Mercury page)
http://www.hwc.ca/dataehd/English/mdb/r&s/amalgam_position.htm (health-canada statement)
http://www.bioprobe.com(Bioprobe - books on amalgam..)
http://www.selene.com/healthlink/amalgam.html (Rethinking Amalgam Safety)
http://www.unpronounceable.com/amalgam/index.html (Crusade against amalgam)
http://www.dental-revision.org/cover.htm(Discussion of Amalgam Hazards..)
http://rtgsun.rtg.ofa.ki.se/forodont/amalgam1.htm(Research Amalgam-Immune system link)
http://www.all-natural.com/merceff1.html (Biological fx of Hg from Amalgams)
http://www.waterinfo.com/amalgam.HTM (Hg pollution from Dental Practice wastewater)
http://www.talkinternational.com/am.html. (Canadians For Mercury Relief )
http://members.aol.com/pganzel/my.html (Link between ALS, Amalgam & diet..)
http://pages.prodigy.com/cent4dent (Mercury toxicidy advice from a Dentist)
Int Arch Occup Environ Health 1995;67(2):135-8 Urinary excretion of lead and mercury after oral administration of meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid in patients with motor neurone disease.Louwerse ES, Buchet JP, Van Dijk MA, de Jong VJ, Lauwerys RRAcademic Medical Center, Graduate School of Neurosciences, Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, The Netherlands. 
J Neurol Sci 1993 Aug;118(1):38-42 Mercury and selenium contents in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan.Moriwaka F, Satoh H, Ejima A, Watanabe C, Tashiro K, Hamada T, Matsumoto A, Shima K, Yanagihara T, Fukazawa T, et alDepartment of Neurology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan. 
Prog Clin Biol Res 1993;380:299-310 Trace metals in human neurodegenerative diseases.Kasarskis EJ, Ehmann WD, Markesbery WRDepartment of Neurology, University of Kentucky, Lexington. 
Muscle Nerve 1992 Oct;15(10):1089-94 Inorganic mercury is transported from muscular nerve terminals to spinal and brainstem motoneurons.Arvidson BDepartment of Neurology, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden. 
Rinsho Shinkeigaku 1991 Aug;31(8):885-7 [A clinical evaluation of the inorganic mercurialism--its pathogenic relation to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis].[Article in Japanese] Moriwaka F, Tashiro K, Doi R, Satoh H, Fukuchi YDepartment of Neurology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine. 
Rinsho Shinkeigaku 1990 Nov;30(11):1275-7 [Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and mercury--preliminary report].[Article in Japanese] Mano Y, Takayanagi T, Abe T, Takizawa YDepartment of Neurology, Nara Medical University. 
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. A case-control study following detection of a cluster in a small Wisconsin community.Sienko DG, Davis JP, Taylor JA, Brooks BRBureau of Community Health and Prevention, Wisconsin Division of Health, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, Madison. 
Rinsho Shinkeigaku 1989 Jul;29(7):844-8 [Mercury in hair of patients with ALS].Mano Y, Takayanagi T, Ishitani A, Hirota T
J Neurol Sci 1989 Jul;91(3):231-58 Animal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and the spinal muscular atrophies.Sillevis Smitt PA, de Jong JMDepartment of Neurology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 
Neurol Clin 1987 Feb;5(1):43-60 Heavy metals and trace elements in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Mitchell JD
Neuroepidemiology 1986;5(1):29-38 Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and occupational heavy metal exposure: a case-control study.Gresham LS, Molgaard CA, Golbeck AL, Smith R
JAMA 1983 Aug 5;250(5):642-3 Mercury intoxication simulating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Adams CR, Ziegler DK, Lin JT
J Occup Med 1978 Oct;20(10):667-9 Inorganic mercury intoxication reminiscent of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Barber TE
Arch Environ Health 1968 Nov;17(5):712-9 Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and metallic toxins.Currier RD, Haerer AF
Neurology 1997 Mar;48(3):650-8 Occupational exposures to metals as risk factors for Parkinson's disease.Gorell JM, Johnson CC, Rybicki BA, Peterson EL, Kortsha GX, Brown GG, Richardson RJDepartment of Neurology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI 48202, USA. 
Neurotoxicology 1996 Spring;17(1):291-5 The enigma of parkinsonism in chronic borderline mercury intoxication, resolved by challenge with penicillamine.Finkelstein Y, Vardi J, Kesten MM, Hod IDepartment of Neurology, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel. 
Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen 1995 Feb 28;115(6):757 [Parkinson disease, mercury and other heavy metals].[Article in Norwegian] Bjorklund G
Nippon Rinsho 1993 Nov;51(11):2924-8 [Extrapyramidal syndrome induced by chemical substances].[Article in Japanese] Inoue NDepartment of Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University. 
Neurology 1993 Jun;43(6):1173-80 Parkinson's disease: a test of the multifactorial etiologic hypothesis.Semchuk KM, Love EJ, Lee RGDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada. 
Mov Disord 1993;8(1):87-92 Parkinson's disease mortality and the industrial use of heavy metals in Michigan.Rybicki BA, Johnson CC, Uman J, Gorell JMDepartment of Biostatistics and Research Epidemiology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan. 
Neuroepidemiology 1989;8(3):128-41 Epidemiologic study on the association between body burden mercury level and idiopathic Parkinson's disease.Ngim CH, Devathasan GDepartment of Community, Occupational and Family Medicine, National University of Singapore. 
Scand J Work Environ Health 1981 Dec;7(4):252-6 Parkinson's disease and occupational exposure to organic solvents, agricultural chemicals and mercury--a case-referent study.Ohlson CG, Hogstedt C
Z Ernahrungswiss 1978 Jun;17(2):84-8 Neurological syndromes produced by some toxic metals encountered industrially or environmentally.Bahiga LM, Kotb NA, El-Dessoukey EA
Int J Epidemiol 1998 Aug;27(4):667-71 Dental amalgam and multiple sclerosis: a case-control study in Montreal, Canada.Bangsi D, Ghadirian P, Ducic S, Morisset R, Ciccocioppo S, McMullen E, Krewski DEpidemiology Research Unit, Research Center, Hotel-Dieu Pavilion, CHUM, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 
Altern Med Rev 1998 Aug;3(4):295-300 Cerebrospinal fluid protein changes in multiple sclerosis after dental amalgam removal.Huggins HA, Levy TECenter for Progressive Medicine, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. 
Neurol Neurochir Pol 1997 Sep-Oct;31(5):905-13 [Changes in the nervous system due to occupational metallic mercury poisoning].Article in Polish] Langauer-Lewowicka H, Zajac-Nedza MKliniki Chorob Zawodowych Instytutu Medycyny Pracy i Zdrowia Srodowiskowego w Sosnowcu. 
J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 1997;35(1):49-54 Brain mercury in neurodegenerative disorders.Fung YK, Meade AG, Rack EP, Blotcky AJDepartment of Oral Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Dentistry, Lincoln 68583-0740, USA. 
Sci Total Environ 1994 Mar 15;142(3):191-205 Evidence that mercury from silver dental fillings may be an etiological factor in multiple sclerosis.Siblerud RL, Kienholz ERocky Mountain Research Institute, Inc., Fort Collins, CO 80524. 
Rinsho Shinkeigaku 1990 Nov;30(11):1275-7 [Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and mercury--preliminary report][Article in Japanese] Mano Y, Takayanagi T, Abe T, Takizawa YDepartment of Neurology, Nara Medical University.