Mercury poses serious health risks, and prolonged exposure can result in permanent damage to a person's nervous system and internal organs. Andrew Hall Cutler, the author of "Amalgam Illness: Diagnosis and Treatment," even contends that mercury poisoning is the root cause of many mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, learning disabilities, obsessive-compulsive disorder and even schizophrenia. The fact is that the sooner mercury poisoning is diagnosed and corrected, the better chance a person has of making a clean break and not experiencing lifelong symptoms.

Testing Hair

In October 2004, Greenpeace published an eye-opening article on the mercury levels of 597 women from across the U.S. Researchers at the Environmental Quality Institute (EQI) at the University of North Carolina-Asheville found that one-fifth of these 597 women had mercury levels higher than what the Environmental Protection Agency deemed a healthy amount. The study was conducted using hair samples, which is one of the easiest ways to test mercury levels. To conduct a mercury test using a hair sample, you can either visit your doctor to make the request or order a testing kit online. According to an article by John Byrne Barry on the Sierra Club's website, you will need a hair sample the size of a golf tee to get accurate test results. Mercury levels can be found in hair samples because attaching the metal to hair is one way for the human body to expel the mercury.

Testing Urine

In September 2006, a group of people who had personally experienced mercury poisoning gave their testimonies before a panel established by the FDA. One of the people speaking was a dentist named Dr. Andrea Brockman. By using a provoked urine challenge test on herself and her teenage son, she found out that they both had extremely high levels of mercury, which could have been contributing to her son's mental instability and chronic sinus and digestive problems. A provoked urine challenge test uses dimercaptopropanesulfunate (or DMPS) to draw the mercury out of tissue and into the bloodstream, where the metal eventually makes its way into a person's urine. The two-hour test can be ordered by a doctor and completed at home. Once you have completed the test, you send the urine sample to a lab and wait for the results.

Neurobehavioral Testing

Mercury can wreak havoc on a person's nervous system. According to the New Jersey State Department of Health, neurobehavioral testing is a way for doctors to find impairments that may be caused by mercury poisoning, such as decreased hand-eye coordination and inability to concentrate. Often the tests are computerized and require patients to perform tasks like pressing a button when they see a certain object on the screen or memorizing and retyping a list of digits. These simple tests are helpful in that you get immediate results because there is no need to send samples off to a lab. However, the results provide no conclusive evidence that mercury is the cause of the impairments. To find out if mercury is truly the culprit, you will need to send urine or hair samples to a laboratory.

Source:

"Amalgam Illness Diagnosis and Treatment;" Andrew Hall Cutler, PhD, PE; 1999

"Twenty-One Percent of Women Tested Nationwide Have Mercury Levels Higher Than EPA Limit;" Greenpeace; Oct. 2004

"The Planet: Vol. 12, No. 4;" The Ultimate Bad Hair Day; John Byrne Barry; Aug. 2005

Resource:

25 Member Advisory Panel Rejects FDA Safety Report on Mercury Fillings

How To Test My Mercury Levels

New Jersey State Department of Health: THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF MERCURY