I am forwarding this because breastfeeding is mentioned.  I believe
the mom's conclusion linking mercury to autism is unfounded
scientifically
at the moment.  But I did read on the web that pregnant women in
Sweden are not to have mercury amalgams worked on or replaced due to
animal studies done on sheep.  I don't know if it extends into the
breastfeeding period also.
Judy Ritchie


From: Murlene Brake at "Dental Truth" <[log in to unmask]>


Thursday, May 3, 2001
Mercury brochure at dentists' advised

By Michael O'D. Moore, Of the NEWS Staff  AUGUSTA -
A legislative committee unanimously recommended Wednesday that a
brochure
be created for dentist's offices to warn about possible health risks of
fillings containing mercury.  Members of the Natural Resources Committee
supported the bill after hearing from state experts that scientific
studies
show that the fillings contribute to a person's mercury exposure even
though there's no conclusive evidence that the fillings cause harm. The
bill, which still must be passed by the Legislature, directs the Bureau
of
Health to develop the brochure.  "In many ways we are taking a giant
step
forward compared to what's been done across the country," said Sen. John
Martin, D-Eagle Lake.  Frances Miliano, executive director of the Maine
Dental Association, said the group would support the effort to have a
brochure available for distribution. The MDA wants the brochure to be
based
on reputable science, and it wouldn't mind including disclosure of the
risks of other filling materials, she said.  Some types of mercury, in
high
enough concentrations, have been shown to be harmful to the nervous
system.
It's particularly harmful to the young, whose systems are still
developing.
At Wednesday's session, Dr. Andrew E. Smith, state toxicologist, said
studies about the risks from the type of mercury in fillings haven't
been
conclusive. There have been contradictory results, and the size of the
studies have been too small to be definitive, he said.  In an interview
after the session, Smith said studies scheduled to be finished in the
next
two to three years should provide much better scientific footing to
decide
how serious the health threat is from fillings containing mercury.
Doing
some rough calculations, Smith said that consuming one 6-ounce can of
tuna
per week equals the amount of mercury vapor ingested weekly by a person
with several fillings containing mercury. The vapor is absorbed by the
body
even more readily than if a person swallowed mercury from a thermometer,
he
said during the hearing.  Because scientific investigators don't agree
on
the dangers of the type of mercury in fillings, there is much
uncertainty,
he said.  Smith helped develop state recommendations on the number of
meals
of freshwater fish caught in Maine that people should consume.
Warm-water
fish such as pickerel and bass contain more mercury pound for pound than
cold-water fish such as trout and salmon. The recommendations also call
for
fewer meals of fish caught in Maine's fresh waters for women of
childbearing years and children.  Dr. Dora A. Mills, director of the
Bureau
of Health, said with the scientific uncertainty, the bureau would not
support banning mercury from fillings in Maine. But she said the bureau
supports the idea of a brochure, which likely would be more effective
than
requiring a poster on the walls of dental offices describing potential
dangers of the fillings.  A brochure, she said, could be crafted in a
way
to be understandable to the general public and would allow more space
for
an explanation of the risks and benefits of certain types of fillings,
she
said.  A couple of committee members, who quoted from studies they had
highlighted, said the bureau and committee should go further in
educating
and protecting Mainers about the possible risks.  "I'm concerned it does
not go far enough," said Rep. Joanne Twomey, D-Biddeford. She said she
wants to at least protect pregnant women and young children, and she
scolded Mills for not doing enough to protect the public from fillings.
She said that after reading the medical research about the possible
dangers
of mercury in fillings, in the future she would pay close attention to
her
grandchildren's dental work.  "When it comes time, I'm convinced you're
not
going to put [mercury] in their mouths," Twomey said.  "I am overwhelmed
with the stories and the experiences that have come to us from basically
around the world and from right here in Maine," said Rep. Christina
Baker,
D-Bangor.  Twomey persuaded the committee to listen to Shannon Johnson
of
Harpswell, even though the public hearing was held the week before.
Johnson told the committee that her son has autism that she believes is
linked to transmission of mercury from her fillings to him while he
breast-fed.  "I would never have put mercury in my mouth [had I known],"
she said.  Smith said after the meeting that he is unaware of any link
between mercury fillings and autism.  Sen. Martin said that just as
cancer
and cigarettes weren't readily linked, mercury fillings and health
problems
long went undiscussed.  "When I asked my dentist a number of years ago
what
my fillings were, he said silver," said Martin. "I never heard the word
mercury."  Martin said he expects dentists soon will voluntarily raise
more
details about the potential dangers of filling materials, if only to
minimize legal challenges in the future.

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