FDA issues precautionary note on silver fillings

[flashl]

(06-12) 15:10 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --Silver dental fillings contain mercury, and the government for the first time is warning that they may pose a safety concern for pregnant women and young children. The Food and Drug Administration posted the precaution on its Web site earlier this month, to settle a lawsuit — making the move a victory for anti-mercury activists.

The warning is not aimed at the general population, only at two groups already urged to limit mercury from another source — seafood — because too much can harm a developing brain.

The fillings, formally known as dental amalgams, "contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses," reads the FDA Web posting.

...

The agency still is studying whether the small amount of mercury vapor released by chewing and brushing is enough to cause neurologic disorders or other problems in youngsters. There have been only a handful of rigorous studies comparing children given either amalgam fillings or tooth-colored resin composite fillings that are mercury-free — and those studies haven't detected any brain problems.

SF Gate

[xchrom]

1. ...

'and those studies haven't detected any brain problems.'

[Orrex]

4. "Pay no attention to those facts behind the sensationalism."

Amalgam Oz has Spoken!

[cosmik debris]

2. "posted...to settle a lawsuit..." not posted because of new discoveries.

This is a political solution to a political problem. It has nothing to do with the science of health care.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. All men are created equal, it's just some are created more

equal than others.



http://hriptc.org/metal_autism.html

Disordered Metal Metabolism in a Large Autism Population

William J. Walsh, Anjum Usman, and Jeffrey Tarpey

Presented at the APA Annual Meeting, May, 2001 - New Orleans.


Abstract

Objective: To investigate the incidence of metal metabolism disorders in an autistic-spectrum patient population.

Method: Chemical analyses of blood and urine samples from 503 patients diagnosed with autistic disorder (n=318), Asperger's disorder (n=23), or atypical autism (n=162) were evaluated.

Results: Of patients tested, 428 (85%) exhibited severely elevated Cu/Zn ratios in blood (average 1.78) compared to a population of healthy controls (average 1.15). Another 30 patients (6%) exhibited a pyrrole disorder associated with severe Zn deficiency. Of the remaining subjects (n=49), 45 reported undergoing aggressive Zn therapy at the time of sampling. A total of 499 of the 503 autism-spectrum patients exhibited evidence of a metal-metabolism disorder.

Conclusion: The absence of Cu and Zn homeostasis and severe Zn deficiency are suggestive of a metallothionein (MT) disorder. MT functions include neuronal development, detoxification of heavy metals, and immune response. Many classic symptoms of autism may be explained by a MT defect in infancy including G.I. tract problems, heightened sensitivity to toxic metals, and abnormal behaviors. These data suggest that an inborn error of MT functioning may be a fundamental cause of autism.

117\x00105ABS

Summary

Recent research indicates that a metallothionein (MT) protein dysfunction may be a primary cause of autism. MT proteins are directly involved in development of brain neurons, detoxification of heavy metals, and immune response. Treatments to promote the induction and proper functioning of MT proteins are described.

William J. Walsh, Ph.D., Chief Scientist at HRI-Pfeiffer Treatment Center, is a biochemist with more than 30 years of research experience. Dr. Walsh has worked for some of the most prestigious scientific institutions in the country, including Argonne National Laboratory, where he spent 22 years as a researcher. His research and volunteer work involving biochemical predisposition to behavior disorders led to Dr. Walsh's foundation of the Health Research Institute in 1982 and the Pfeiffer Treatment Center in 1989, as non-profit organizations. HRI-Pfeiffer evaluates and treats biochemical imbalances associated with ADHD, behavior disorders, depression, autism, and schizophrenia.

[Orrex]

5. Perhaps you can point out where that article mentions mercury?

I can't seem to find it.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. It mentions heavy metals, Hg is one.

1: J Neurol Sci. 2008 May 14. Click here to read Links
Thimerosal exposure in infants and neurodevelopmental disorders: An assessment of computerized medical records in the Vaccine Safety Datalink.
Young HA, Geier DA, Geier MR.

The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, United States.

The study evaluated possible associations between neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs) and exposure to mercury (Hg) from Thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs) by examining the automated Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD). A total of 278,624 subjects were identified in birth cohorts from 1990-1996 that had received their first oral polio vaccination by 3 months of age in the VSD. The birth cohort prevalence rate of medically diagnosed International Classification of Disease, 9th revision (ICD-9) specific NDs and control outcomes were calculated. Exposures to Hg from TCVs were calculated by birth cohort for specific exposure windows from birth-7 months and birth-13 months of age.

Poisson regression analysis was used to model the association between the prevalence of outcomes and Hg doses from TCVs. Consistent significantly increased rate ratios were observed for autism, autism spectrum disorders, tics, attention deficit disorder, and emotional disturbances with Hg exposure from TCVs. By contrast, none of the control outcomes had significantly increased rate ratios with Hg exposure from TCVs. Routine childhood vaccination should be continued to help reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases, but efforts should be undertaken to remove Hg from vaccines. Additional studies should be conducted to further evaluate the relationship between Hg exposure and NDs.

[cosmik debris]

9. But YOU posted the studies that prove amalgam is safe

As it says in the OP, "those studies haven't detected any brain problems."

[varkam]

6. Where was that published? eom

[mzmolly]

7. Thanks, they're catching up with those of us who believe the science on Mercury.

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/amalgams.html

3. What are the safety concerns about dental amalgam?

Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses. When amalgam fillings are placed in teeth or removed from teeth, they release mercury vapor. Mercury vapor is also released during chewing. FDA’s rulemaking (described in question 7) will examine evidence concerning whether release of mercury vapor can cause health problems, including neurological disorders, in children and fetuses.

I guess Quackwatch will have to add the FDA to their sh*t list now? ;)