Examination of urinary mercury levels in dentists in Turkey
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a naturally occurring element and its toxicity, especially in certain forms, has been known for many years. Exposure to Hg can occur in occupational and environmental settings. The toxicity of Hg compounds in dentistry has been an issue of increasing concern. Dental personnel are occupationally exposed to Hg vapor in their working environment and this exposure constitutes a potential risk to people in the dental surgery, mainly from the inhalation of Hg vapor and fine particles of amalgam. In this study, the urinary Hg excretion levels of 20 dentists and nine control subjects, matched for age, were determined by cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometer (CV-AAS). The levels of Hg in the urine samples of the dentists was about three times higher than the control subjects (6.29±3.5 and 1.979±0.9 μg/L, respectively) (P B < 0.001). Some 90% of dentists wore both gloves and masks. Standards of hygiene (use of mask, glove and gown) may contribute to the degree of exposure. Attention to important hygiene measures, such as the avoidance of spills of Hg, cleaning of floors after such spills, ventilation and the installation of ventilation, depending on technology, should be taken into consideration.
Age and smoking habits did not influence the urinary Hg excretion. Our results showed that dentists had significant exposure to Hg vapor compared to control subjects and therefore might be subject to possible adverse effects due to Hg toxicity.
References
1 ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) . Toxicological profile for mercury. ATSDR/ US Public Health Service , 1989.
2 ACGIH . 1994–1995. Threshold limit values for chemical substances and physical agents and biological exposure indices. Cincinnati, OH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, 1994 .
3 IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) . Mercury and mercury compounds. 1993; 58: 239-239 .
4 International Programme on Chemical Safety, Environmental Health Criteria, IPCS EHC 1991; 118.
5 Nilsson B , Gerhardsson L , Nordberg GF . Urine Hg levels and associated symptoms in dental personnel . Sci Total Environ 1990; 94: 179–185 .
6 Chang SB , Siew C , Gruninger SE . Examination of blood levels of mercurial in practicing dentists using coldvapor atomic absorption spectrometry . J Anal Toxicol 1987; 11: 149–153 .
7 Eley BM . Mercury from dental amalgam fillings in patents . Br Dent J 1987; 163: 221–226 .
8 Steinberg D , Grauer F , Niv Y , Perlyte M , Kopolovic K . Hg levels among dental personnel in Israel: a preliminary study . Isr J Med Sci 1995; 31: 428–432 .
9 Skare I , Bergstrom T , Engqvist A , Weiner JA . Hg exposure of different origins among dentists and dental nurses . Scand J Work Environ Health 1990; 16: 340–347 .
10 Helsby CA . Determination of Hg in finger nails and body hair . Anal Chim Acta 1976; 82: 427–430 .
11 USAF . Hg. Installation restoration toxicology guide, Volume 5. Wright Patterson AFB, OH: Harry G Armstrong Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory , 1990.
12 Aydln A , Karaoglanoglu S , Yigit A , Keleş MS , Kirplnar I , Seven N . Neuropsychological effects of low mercury exposure in dental staff in Erzurum, Turkey . Int Dent J 2003; 53: 449–452 .
13 Bourcier DR , Sharma RP , Drown DB . Stationary coldvapor method for atomic absorption measurement of Hg in blood and urine used for exposure screening . Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1982; 43: 329–332 .
14 Khordi-Mood M , Sarraf-Shirazi AR , Balali-Mood M . Urinary mercury excretion following amalgam filling in children . J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 2001; 39: 701–705 .
15 Barregard L , Sallsten G , Jarvholm B . People with high mercury uptake from their own dental amalgam fillings . Occup Environ Med 1995; 52: 124–128 .
16 Levy M , Schwartz S , Dijak M , Weber JP , Tardif R , Rouah F . Childhood urine mercury excretion: dental amalgam and fish consumption as exposure factors . Environ Res 2004; 94: 283–290 .
17 Mortada WL , Sobh MA , El-Defrawy MM , Farahat SE . Mercury in dental restoration: is there a risk of nephrotoxicity? Nephrology 2002; 15: 171–176 .
18 Langworth S , Elinder CG , Gothe CJ , Vesterberg O . Biological monitoring of environmental and occupational exposure to mercury . Int Arch Occup Environ Health 1991; 63: 161–167 .
19 Olstad ML , Holland RJ , Wandel N , Hensteen-Pettersen A . Correlation between amalgam restorations and Hg concentrations in urine . J Dent Res 1987; 66: 1179–1182 .
20 Abraham JE , Svare OW , Frank OW . The effect of dental amalgam restorations on blood Hg levels . J Dent Res 1984; 63: 71-71 .
21 Ritchie KA , Burke FJ , Gilmour WH , Macdonald EB , Dale IM , Hamilton RM , McGowan DA , Binnie V , Collington D , Hammersley R . Mercury vapor levels in dental practices and body mercury levels of dentists and controls . Br Dent J 2004; 197: 625–632 .
22 Langworth S , Bjorkman L , Elinder CG , Jarup L , Savlin P . Multidisciplinary examination of patients with illness attributed to dental fillings . J Oral Rehab 2002; 29: 705–713 .
23 Ngim H . Chronic neurobehavioral effects of elemental Hg in dentists . Br J Ind Med 1992; 49: 782–790 .
24 Jokstad A . Hg excretion and occupational exposure of dental personnel . Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 1990; 18: 143–148 .
25 Warfvinge K . Hg exposure of a female dentist before pregnancy . Br Dent J 1995; 178: 149–152 .
26 Echeverria D , Heyer NJ , Martin MD , Naleway CA , Woods JS , Bittner AC Jr . Behavioral effects of low-level exposure to Hg0 among dentists . Neurotoxicol Teratol 1995; 17: 161–168 .
Cite article
Cite article
Cite article
OR
Download to reference manager
If you have citation software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice
Information, rights and permissions
Information
Published In
Article first published: August 2005
Issue published: August 2005
Keywords
History
Published online: August 1, 2005
Issue published: August 2005
PubMed: 16138728
Authors
Metrics and citations
Metrics
Journals metrics
This article was published in Human & Experimental Toxicology.
VIEW ALL JOURNAL METRICSArticle usage*
Total views and downloads: 43
*Article usage tracking started in December 2016
Articles citing this one
Web of Science: 19 view articles Opens in new tab
Crossref: 20
- Évaluation de l’exposition professionnelle au mercure dans les cabinet...
- An easy and green amine-based microextraction strategy combined UV–Vis...
- Dual-channel responsive fluorescent sensor for the logic-controlled de...
- Mercury level in biological samples of dentists in Iran: a systematic ...
- Rethinking the Dental Amalgam Dilemma: An Integrated Toxicological App...
- Mercury exposure and health impacts in dental personnel
- Usefulness of Human Biomonitoring for the Process of Risk Assessment o...
- A Review of Mercury Exposure and Health of Dental Personnel
- A review on the distribution of Hg in the environment and its human he...
- What Is the Risk? Dental Amalgam, Mercury Exposure, and Human Health R...
- Use of Mercury in Dental Silver Amalgam: An Occupational and Environme...
- Exposure to mercury among dental health workers in Turkey...
- Symptoms of Intoxication in Dentists Associated with Exposure to Low L...
- Effect of occupational exposure to elemental mercury in the amalgam on...
- Methylmercury Induces Alveolar Macrophages Apoptosis
- Environmental mercury contamination in China: Sources and impacts
- Mercury Exposures in Informal Gold Miners and Relatives in Southern Pe...
- Atomic spectrometry update. Clinical and biological materials, foods a...
- Atomic spectrometry update. Advances in atomic emission, absorption an...
- Dental Amalgam
Figures and tables
Figures & Media
Tables
View Options
View options
PDF/ePub
View PDF/ePubGet access
Access options
If you have access to journal content via a personal subscription, university, library, employer or society, select from the options below:
loading institutional access options
Alternatively, view purchase options below:
Purchase 24 hour online access to view and download content.
Access journal content via a DeepDyve subscription or find out more about this option.
