Mercury, selenium, and glutathione peroxidase before and after amalgam removal in man

In 10 healthy persons all amalgam fillings were replaced with gold inlays. Blood and urinary levels were measured on 10 occasions during a 4-month period before and a 12-month period after amalgam removal. These variables were also measured three times in 10 healthy controls. A strong statistically significant relation was found between plasma mercury values and both the total number of amalgam surfaces (r = 0.71, p = 0.0006) and the total surface area of the fillings (r = 0.73, p = 0.0004). In the immediate postremoval phase plasma mercury rose three- to four-fold, whereas the urinary and erythrocyte mercury rose about 50%. These peak values declined to the preremoval level at about 1 month. Twelve months after the removal the plasma and urinary mercury levels were significantly reduced to 50% and 25%, respectively, of the initial values for the experimental group. Apart from the significantly lower plasma selenium values 5 and 10 days after removal no significant differences were found with regard to plasma selenium or erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase either within or between the experimental and the control groups. A large number of supplementary biochemical analyses did not show any influence on organ functions or any differences between the groups before or after the amalgam removal. Amalgam fillings considerably contributed to the plasma and urinary mercury levels.