Biological monitoring of mercury exposure in dentists of Tehran

ABSTRACT

In order to assess the risk for mercury poisoning in dentists, urine specimens were collected and analysed from 250 dentists [190 male, 60 female]. Subject data and pertinent health symptoms were asked via a questionnaire. The results indicate that the mean and standard deviation of mercury values were 51.3 +/- 38.0 micro g/L, while 27.2% of dentists had levels within normal limits [0-19 micro g/L]. The results also showed that values for general practitioners tended to be higher, but was not significant for the specialists. The data demonstrated that there is an association between health symptoms pertinent to mercury poisoning and urine mercury values above 50 micro g/L