Mercury Exposure

Although some countries (for example Norway and Denmark) have banned it, mercury amalgam is still in use in dentistry. Mercury amalgam is a mixture of mercury (a metal which is liquid at room temperature and slowly forms a vapour in the air), silver, copper, tin and a small amount of zinc. It has been around since the 1830s and is used for filling cavities in the teeth.  Dentists and their staff who fit or remove mercury amalgam fillings can be exposed  to elevated levels of airborne mercury in their surgeries.