SEVERAL dental clinics and schools offering dental education have been found to have alarming levels of mercury vapor, a study conducted by the International Association of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) and BAN Toxics (BT) revealed.
The study titled “Lason Sa Hangin: Mercury Vapor Levels in Dental Schools” was presented in a news conference on Tuesday to warn authorities of the health hazards posed by the continued use of dental amalgam that contains the toxic substance.
The study reveals the high level of mercury vapor in dental schools, with measurements ranging from 183.5 µg/m3 to a high >30,000 µg/m3, depending on variables, such as the architecture of the facility, the weather and the number of dental restorative procedures.
Overall, each site yielded figures much higher than the recommended Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry minimal risk level for inhalation exposure at 200 µg/m3 and the action level of 1,000 µg/m3, which triggers remediation if exceeded in indoor air.
The study was conducted in the dental restorative areas of four dental colleges around the country through BT’s Lumex Ra-915+ Hg vapor analyser, which measured mercury vapor levels over an eight-hour period, simulating a typical workday for dental professionals and students.
“The results are not surprising. Our previous research has already shown that dental amalgam releases a significant amount of mercury vapor. What’s more troubling is how it is continually being overlooked,” IAOMT-Philippines Executive Director Lillian Lasaten-Ebuen said.
Dental-amalgam fillings are valued because these are supposed to be durable, inexpensive and easier to manipulate, Lasaten-Ebuen said.
However, as the dental restorative material is composed of 50- percent mercury—toxicologists and researchers have warned of its potential effects not only on patients but also on dentists and dental staff, as well, she said.
“Government regulators need to be consistent in its policy on mercury. If we are banishing it from use in hospitals and health-care facilities all over the country, as well as prohibiting its use in small-scale gold mining, the dental sector remains the lone and illogical exception,” Myline Macabuhay, BT Chemicals Management assistant coordinator, said for her part.
Some dentists continue to use dental amalgams and dentistry schools continue to follow what the groups described as “a flawed curriculum that requires students to practice and hone their skills via dental-amalgam restorations.”
“We need to review antiquated processes, especially those that pose harm to the environment and health, and move forward with practical and preferably toxic-free options for Filipinos. Philippine dentists and dental schools need to reevaluate their duty of care to patients and students, and phase out dental-amalgam use immediately,” Macabuhay added.