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Dental nurse worred about mercury exposure
i am 8 weeks pregnant and i woek as a dental nurse. I have just noticed that i can smell the amalgam when opening the waste tub and i am worried that i am being exposed to mercury and causing my baby harm. I feel like i'm inhaling it when i open it as my sense of smell has doubled. I am really scared that mercury exposure could cause a miscarriage. Are there any dental nurses that can put me at ease?
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Hi Lyndsay
I'm also a dental nurse nad am now 26+1.. I don't think the mercury in the amalgam poses any risk when encapsulated or after use when getting rid of the waste to be honest.. When I open my waste pot at work it's more the extracted teeth that have been disposed of in there due to them containing amalgam fills I think I can smell!! Gross I know lol! We wear visors at work and also have the option of masking up too when it comes to removing amalgam fills as the mercury vapours are more likely to be released when the amalgam is exposed to heat from the high speed etc but the material as a whole poses very little risk to be honest, as far as I know anyway! But obviously i'm not an expert.. Just going off what I was taught.. If you're at all worried you could speak to the dentist you work with or your manager?
Hope this helps a little! x