/

A 30 Year Follow up of Residual Effects on New Zealand School Dental Nurses from Occupational Mercury Exposure

New research has shown that a quarter of dental nurses working before 1974 have had hysterectomies after handling mercury amalgam for tooth fillings – around four times the rate expected for women in their age bracket. Massey University psychology lecturer Linda Jones also found the dental nurses suffered side effects including anxiety, sleep disturbance and hand tremors after handling the mercury amalgam, Radio New Zealand reported. Dr. Jones said dental nurses who had mixed the amalgam by hand before the practice was stopped in 1974 had a far higher rate of needing hysterectomies than the general population of women, as well as other troubles. “Difficulty with conception, having children with birth defects, having children with learning difficulties – the dental nurse group were over-represented in those categories.” The Dental Association of New Zealand said having amalgam fillings was not as unsafe as having a small amount of the filling, was different to the impact of handling the unset material regularly.

Article