The Oregonian
Look at mercury, Alzheimer's
February 19, 2004

As a member of a family affected by Alzheimer's disease, I follow the research closely, including your Feb. 16 article, "Diets, puzzles may stave off Alzheimer's." It points to a new study implicating cholesterol. This information will undoubtedly be used by drug salespeople to urge doctors to prescribe statin drugs ubiquitously.

Apparently the 5,000 scientists at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting have chosen to ignore the peer-reviewed scientific studies showing that mercury exposure could produce the three diagnostic characteristics of Alzheimer's (www.testfoundation.org/admercury.htm).

In 1991, the World Health Organization reported that that the primary source of mercury in the human body is from mercury amalgam dental fillings (WHO Criteria #118). Is the research linking mercury and Alzheimer's being ignored because it means taking on the dental industry, which has been using mercury for the last 170 years?

SANDRA DUFFY, Lake Oswego

(For additional information on the relationship between chronic illness and mercury in dental fillings: www.testfoundation.org/amalgampage.htm, www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/indexa.html)