Exposure at work

Mercury Exposure at Work
Few people today are exposed to mercury vapour in the course of their job. The exceptions are members of the dental team, hospital staff, laboratory workers, instrument repair workshop technicians and some factory workers.

Mercury can damage your health in many ways and employers are required by law to ensure that employees are not harmed by their work. Regulations covering this area include the COSHH (Control of Substances Harmful to Health) regulations in the UK and the EC Directives on Health and Safety at Work.

Mercury from Dental Fillings
Mercury from amalgam fillings ('silver fillings') does slowly leak out from these, entering the body and there is medical evidence that in a small minority of people, this is enough to cause health problems. Recently, there has been a trend towards having your amalgam fillings replaced with white composite material, on health grounds.

In fact, the amount of mercury lost from amalgams is quite small - a similar amount is contained in our diet, especially if we eat fish and cereal products. However, for peace of mind, it is now possible to have a urine mercury analysis performed, which will detect even the lowest levels of mercury exposure. If the result shows a high urine mercury level, and you are not in the group of people exposed to the metal at work, then you should seek advice from your dental practitioner.