June 6, 1997
                                              INDEX

      Is there a connection between mercury from silver fillings in pregnant women and Sudden
                                 Infants Death Syndromes (SIDS)?

         Recently it was reported in media that the rate of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndromes) declined for the
         first time in decades in Sweden. In reporting on this smoking as a cause for SIDS was discussed, however
         the mothers are not smoking less now than a couple of years ago, so this does not offer an explanation.

         What has not been discussed is that mothers since decades have had free dental care and recieved
         amalgam/silver fillings exposing them and their unborn children to mercury released from these fillings. The
         decline in SIDS coincides with a ban on the use of amalgam/silver fillings for pregnant women in Sweden.
         These facts about the amalgam use and a shift in death rates for newborn children merits attention. Maybe
         it is a sign of a civilizational disease for which humanity has a longstanding tradition of being blind for.

         How open eyes can get closed may be illustrated by the Swedish researcher who together with a fellow
         researcher in 1991 presented two cases of trombocytopenia (lack of blood platelets) with bleeding
         disorder in children after having amalgam/silver fillings placed in primary teeth. The conclusion was that
         tooth status of both mother and child should be assessed when bleeding disorder was suspected with
         children. The spring after this presentation the ADA visited Sweden, and a conference was held and ended
         in a concensus statement that there was nothing pointing to a possible connection between amalgam fillings
         and health. The Canadian researcher Murray Vimy attended this conference and refused to sign the
         statement. This was easily solved by putting his name to it anyhow. In spite of diplomatic activities to have
         this corrected nothing has been changed. The Swedish researcher has since been a member of the expert
         committee of the Swedish Board of Health and Welfare and vigorously maintained the view of no
         connection between mercury from amalgam fillings and health. His turnaround was a joint action with the
         rest of the specialists in Sweden within occupational medicine who previously in many cases had another
         view.

         Together with this news item online you will find some interesting links to texts online offering some
         perspective.