Rapid Communication: Acute Exposure to Mercury From Dental Amalgam Does Not Affect the Levels of C-Reactive Protein or Interleukin-6 in Peripheral Blood

Abstract

In a previous study, a significant increase in serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) was apparent after an acute low-level mercury (Hg) exposure, achieved by removal of amalgam fillings (Loftenius et al., 1998). In the present study, 11 healthy volunteers were exposed to an oral dose of 1 g of pulverized amalgam powder. Hg, IL-6, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in plasma were followed before and up to 72 h after exposure. The Hg levels were low and stable prior to exposure and increased rapidly after exposure. The median Hg increase was 12.9 nmol/L, which is considerably higher than in the previous study. No significant change over time was observed for IL-6 and CRP levels. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that our previous finding of increasing IL-6 levels detected after acute low-level Hg exposure through removal of amalgam fillings was due to the dental treatment per se.