I couldn't expand the page beyond the first page intro. Just a blank page came up.

That's strange. I couldn't even pull it from my cache. Here's a little more info from an earlier press release while awaiting the article's return.

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"media alert December 22, 2004 : for immediate release
In These Times Publishes Article Censored by Proctor & Gamble

"Although the feature is relevant, well-researched and well-written, it cannot be used for Childbirth Forum at this time based on a directive from the newsletterÂs sponsor, Procter & Gamble The information about mercury and fish must be written in a larger context of diet during pregnancy, and is too Âcontroversial to feature as it is."

With these words, Proctor & Gamble informed Sandra Steingraber that her article, "Mercury in Pregnancy: Eat Fish with Caution," would not be published in Childbirth Forum, a newsletter read primarily by nurses who work in childbirth education. The newsletter is underwritten by Pampers, a Proctor & Gamble product.

In its cover story, In These Times publishes the censored article now titled, "How Mercury-Tainted Tuna Damages Fetal Brains," with an original introduction, conclusion and updated information by Steingraber.

"During the four years I researched fetal toxicology at Cornell University," Steingraber, a biologist, writes in the introduction, "I had become alarmed about the breach between what the scientific community knows about the effects of prenatal mercury (a lot) and what the general public knows (very little). Pregnant myself during some of this time, I experienced this disconnect directly."

Information in the article includes:
 An explanation of why fish contain such high methylmercury levels;
 The reason fetal brains are so susceptible to methylmercury;
 How methylmercury affects the development of the fetal brain;
 The biggest known contributors to mercury in the environment;
 The current state of legislation to control mercury emissions; and
 Resources and recommendations of fish consumption during pregnancy.

Why did Proctor & Gamble keep important information about the risks of mercury consumption from the public? In her conclusion, Steingraber reports on information she received from the National Resources Defense Council regarding Procter & GambleÂs record of active opposition to mercury regulations.

"Certainly Pampers is a major advertiser in parenting and baby care magazines," she states. "Could the cuddly diaper ads in their pages have anything to do with the publicÂs lack of knowledge about mercury-contaminated fish?"

Sandra Steingraber, PH.D. is on the faculty at Ithaca College. She is the author of several environmental books and most recently is a contributor to What We Do Now, a collection of essays by leading progressive thinkers in response to the 2004 election.
In These Times
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That's a mouth full Althea, something to chew on...

{{!gwi}}

Try this link to the article.

To our cyberhero, Bill G! And to Mary Beth Doyle who appears to have died soon after...Naaahhh, not possibly true.

Thanks Bill, here's a sub-link from your link about Hg amalgam fillings. A growing group of concerned dentists who question amalgam safety :

*snip*
Research

"Some of the most dramatic developments in the scientific case against amalgam were sponsored wholly or in part by IAOMT, including:

The famous "sheep and monkey studies," by Vimy and Lorscheider, in which amalgam fillings labeled with radioactive mercury were placed in the animals' teeth, and demonstrated that the mercury quickly disseminated around their bodies. They showed mercury distribution to the fetus of pregnant animals, and a variety of physiological lesions.

Neurobehavioral studies of dentists and staff, by Echeverria, et. al., linking neurological and behavioral deficits with their occupational exposure to mercury.

Animal model experiments by Haley and Pendergrass, et. al., demonstrating that mercury vapor in the range that we are exposed to by amalgam fillings can get into a rat's brain and cause a biochemical lesion identical to Alzheimer's disease. These researchers had previously clarified the biochemical mechanism by which this happens.

Tissue culture experiments using growing nerve cells by Leong, et. al., that show how vanishingly small quantities of mercury can totally disrupt the newly growing nerve endings, leaving the characteristic neuro-fibrillary tangles found in Alzheimer's disease...."

Here is a link that might be useful: Filler Up?

Thank you Bill. The original linked page allows you to see the article now.

Considering the dangers of mercury on fish, esp. tuna have been known since the 70's, the time when warnings were placed on the labels, it's astounding how little is made known about the dangers and how few people take it seriously. I liked Steingraber's example of a sign in a restaurant warning against alcohol but no mention of mercury in the entree. Same with tobacco -- a preganant woman seen smoking in public would likely be chastised but not if she eats a tuna sandwich.

Yes, Marshall, I thought about the fate of Mary Beth Doyle as well, but, accidents can happen, right? Her sister Michelle wrote a comment at the end of the article. Michelle is continuing her sister's work.

Vgkg, have you ever run across any industry ties to dentistry?

No supporting data with these two reports.......... I once read where the life expectancy of dentists was signifigantly lower than that of other doctors. If that is true, I wonder if mercury plays a part.

I recently read where there could be 40,000,000 atoms of mercury in a cell from amalgam fillings. now I don't know if that is a signifigant number or not though it sounds like it.

Althea, the ADA could be thought of as an industry into itself. Just as no one industry would want to cast any doubts about the safety of one of it's products the ADA wouldn't want to do the same. With ~270 million Americans that may average out to 3-4 fillings per person? (I have 10 myself). Can you imagine what would happen if all of a sudden all these people realized thay have a mouth full of toxic waste? That translates roughtly into over a Billion filling that would need replacing and I don't think the insurance companies (for one) would like that!
I'd like to see a study done to see if there's a pattern of nervous disorder "diseases" related to the # of fillings in each patients mouth. It's astounding that the EPA requires dentists to dispose of old/unused amalgam as a hazardous waste and yet....
vgkg

I can only speak as a former dental assistant from 1978-1985
I worked for various dentist in Texas, Colorado, and Kansas.

What was common with all dentist was not only to mercury exposure, but when doing root canals and Xray is needed at different intervals to see if the thin enlongated wire screws had reached the end of the inside of each root canal. This process is done by sometimes having the dentist himself hold an Xray in place as to get the percise angle he desires, often times the patient can hold the film in place while the Xray is taken. My experience is that the doctor holds the film while the assistant snaps the picture.

Also, some dentist are still old fashion in their methods and have the assistants hand sqeeze the excess mercury through a white cloth with their bare hands. Fortunaltely over the years I have rarely seen this practise or method still used.

And then there is always the kids/adults that swollen all the excess amalgam material that was suppose to get sucked up and removed by the assistant's aspirator ( from the carving down for occulsion). The doctor and assistant usually give each other a wide eyed unspoken look of "oops".

They do try to put rubber dams on people today to avoid this, but some people can not allow so much to go on in their mouth and agree not to have it.

While I was an assistant I would say the only time any doctor would use a rubber dam would be for root canals, and even then not always.

Being different amount of mercury for different fillings, but say a large one would have as much as what could pool on my pinkie finger nail.

I recently read where there could be 40,000,000 atoms of mercury in a cell from amalgam fillings. now I don't know if that is a signifigant number or not though it sounds like it.

Based on mercury's atomic weight of 200.59 and the largest estimated number of cells in an adult human body (100 trillion from an internet search), 40,000,000 atoms of mercury would equate to about 1.33 grams of mercury in an average adult. That seems like a lot to me, but I suppose if one had enough fillings and a significant amount of the mercury in the amalgam remained in their body, 1.33 grams might be possible. Mercury is quite dense, so 1.33 grams would not be very much in terms of volume (0.0066 ml). Using the lowest estimated number of cells in an adult human body from the same inernet search, the result was 0.133 grams, or one tenth as much. Still seems like a lot to me. Perhaps that example was an extreme case of mercury poisoning.

Monte, Thanks for the math/chemistry. I realize after looking back at my post that this mercury of course would be from all sources...with a lot of amalgams perhaps being the one of the main contributors.

A report released by an environmental group Oceana found that chlorine production plants using 100-year-old technology release up to five times more mercury as coal-fired power plants. There are 9 of the plants currently operating in the U.S.. For details, see .....

Here is a link that might be useful: oceana

Besides amalgam fillings here's another "tainted product" that was just recently discovered :

NYC HEALTH DEPT. WARNS AGAINST USE OF "SKIN-LIGHTENING" CREAMS CONTAINING MERCURY OR SIMILAR PRODUCTS WHICH DO NOT LIST INGREDIENTS
Almost a Dozen Products Made in the Dominican Republic, Hong Kong and China Do Not Conform to FDA Regulations; Sale of These Products Illegal Under City Law

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NEW YORK CITY - January 27, 2005 - Following a confirmed case of mercury poisoning in a New York City resident who had been using an imported "skin-lightening" cream, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) today warned against the use of similar creams, soaps and other cosmetic products which contain mercury. DOHMH is investigating the availability of these products in City stores and is working with the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to test certain creams and other products for mercury content.

The person identified with mercury poisoning used a product called Recetas de la Farmacia - Crema Blanqueadora, which is manufactured in the Dominican Republic and is advertised for use for "skin-lightening," and to treat acne and skin blemishes; it was purchased in the Dominican Republic. Government officials in that country are working closely with DOHMH to halt the manufacture and distribution of these products.

The person was a participant in DOHMH's New York City Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NYC HANES) and was identified because of testing done in that survey. The product she used contains a type of mercury that is easily absorbed through the skin. While the FDA limit for mercury is 1 part per million (ppm); the tested sample contained more than 6,000 parts per million (ppm) of mercury. The patient remains under medical observation.

Here is a link that might be useful: Full story....

Hey all - here's a site that might be of interest to some....

Their focus is thimerosal in vaccines.

Here is a link that might be useful: No Mercury

Here's an article from today's LATimes....

**
'91 Memo Warned of Mercury in Shots
By Myron Levin
Times Staff Writer

February 8, 2005

A memo from Merck & Co. shows that, nearly a decade before the first public disclosure, senior executives were concerned that infants were getting an elevated dose of mercury in vaccinations containing a widely used sterilizing agent.

The March 1991 memo, obtained by The Times, said that 6-month-old children who received their shots on schedule would get a mercury dose up to 87 times higher than guidelines for the maximum daily consumption of mercury from fish.

"When viewed in this way, the mercury load appears rather large," said the memo from Dr. Maurice R. Hilleman, an internationally renowned vaccinologist. It was written to the president of Merck's vaccine division.

The memo was prepared at a time when U.S. health authorities were aggressively expanding their immunization schedule by adding five new shots for children in their first six months. Many of these shots, as well as some previously included on the vaccine schedule, contained thimerosal, an antibacterial compound that is nearly 50% ethyl mercury, a neurotoxin.

Federal health officials disclosed for the first time in 1999 that many infants were being exposed to mercury above health guidelines through routine vaccinations. The announcement followed a review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that was described at the time as a first effort to assess the cumulative mercury dose.

But the Merck memo shows that at least one major manufacturer was aware of the concern much earlier.

"The key issue is whether thimerosal, in the amount given with the vaccine, does or does not constitute a safety hazard," the memo said. "However, perception of hazard may be equally important."

Merck officials would not discuss the contents of the memo, citing pending litigation.

Separately, the drug giant is trying to fend off a legal onslaught over Vioxx, the popular painkiller it introduced in 1999. The company, based in Whitehouse Station, N.J., faces hundreds of lawsuits claiming that the drug caused heart problems and that Merck concealed the risks. Merck, which in September pulled Vioxx off the market, has denied the allegations.

The legacy of thimerosal, meanwhile, also is causing problems for Merck and other drug companies.

More than 4,200 claims have been filed in a special federal tribunal, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, by parents asserting that their children suffered autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders from mercury in vaccines. A handful of similar claims are awaiting trial in civil courts. The plaintiffs cite various scientific studies that they say prove the dangers of thimerosal, including at the levels found in vaccines.
...**

Here is a link that might be useful: Full Article

Who knew there was such a thing as skin lightening creams?

A new study on the prevalence of mercury in the environment was just released. As usual, things are worse than anyone thought.

_____

"Mercury contamination is more pervasive in New England than researchers previously believed, according to a study being released today that indicates the toxic substance appears to be polluting the environment in ways that scientists previously did not think possible.
The four-year study in Northeastern United States and eastern Canada also indicates significant levels of mercury in forest songbirds and other animals that researchers did not suspect were ingesting mercury.

The study, comprising 21 papers being published in the journal Ecotoxicology, also identifies nine hot spots in the region, including in the lower Merrimack River area in Massachusetts and New Hampshire where mercury levels in animals such as brook trout, loons, mink, and eagles are alarmingly high. In some locations, the levels appear to be interfering with some species' reproduction.

"The impacts of mercury go well beyond what anyone would have envisioned yesterday," said Michael Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project in Vermont and cochairman of the state mercury committee, who was not involved in the study. "It doesn't look like there are any limits on mercury's reach."

The $300,000 study, financed by the US Department of Agriculture's Northeastern States Research Cooperative, enlisted 50 scientists to analyze existing data of mercury in animals, soil, rivers, lakes, and streams. It also looked for the first time at mercury levels in such species as salamanders and songbirds in the region.For years, scientists and public policy makers have focused on mercury that is emitted from power plants and incinerators and falls into lakes and ponds, where it is easily converted into its toxic form when it interacts with bacteria in freshwater sediment. Across the region, pregnant woman and children have been warned not to eat many freshwater fish because the creatures can pass on the mercury concentrated in their flesh.

(clip)

But today's report indicates that the same type of toxic conversion may be happening on mountaintops and forests, with mercury falling out of the sky onto tree leaves and then dropping onto the moist forest floor.

Tiny insects then take up the mercury, and as insects are eaten by larger creatures the mercury accumulates in greater concentrations up the food chain, said David C. Evers, executive director of the BioDiversity Research Institute who helped conceive the research idea with Tom Clair, of Environment Canada, that country's environmental protection agency. "These terrestrial systems have been completely overlooked," said Evers, who wants far more monitoring of the environment. "It's a complicated story, and we don't have all the answers yet."
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Here is a link that might be useful: Boston Globe