Have you wondered how mercury from dental amalgam fillings gets into the brain? Well via the bloodstream when you breathe in the mercury vapors into your lungs is the main route. However, there is a more direct method that that damages the pre-frontal cortex (what you think with). Look at the picture here of the nasal cavity, especially the yellow part below the brain. See that big open space and how close it is to the brain? Imagine it full of mercury vapor waiting to bind to any nerve cell. What is nearby? Hmm. The brain! (Yes, it does get into the brain as shown by the autopsy study below). Some mercury is also swallowed and methylated by bacteria in the gut and absorbed that way as methyl mercury into the bloodstream. Let’s dig deeper.
“The specialized olfactory receptor neurons of the olfactory nerve are located in the olfactory mucosa of the upper parts of the nasal cavity. The olfactory nerves consist of a collection of many sensory nerve fibers that extend from the olfactory epithelium to the olfactory bulb, passing through the many openings of the cribriform plate, a sieve-like structure of the ethmoid bone. The sense of smell arises from the stimulation of receptors by small molecules in inspired air of varying spatial, chemical, and electrical properties that reach the nasal epithelium in the nasal cavity during inhalation. These stimulants are transduced into electrical activity in the olfactory neurons, which then transmit these impulses to the olfactory bulb and from there they reach the olfactory areas of the brain via the olfactory tract.”
So what does this mean? It means the area that connects the nasal cavity to the brain is a sieve and full of holes. Nerves go from the olfactory bulb and brain into the nasal cavity via these holes. What happens likely is that when you breathe the mercury vapor from the fillings some gets into the nasal cavity. From there it has a direct path to the brain via those nerves and the sieve like structure. The mercury gas merely attaches to the nerves or diffuses up via those holes. That is what causes one symptom of mercury toxicity meaning the loss of smell and taste. Why else would this happen if the nerves and olfactory bulb were not affected?
There is also axonal transport. The mercury once in the nerves would have the ability to move up those nerves into olfactory bulb and further into the pre-frontal cortex that is right above it. What are some symptoms of mercury poisoning? Poor decision making, emotional instability, depression, loss of memory and slower processing. What does this thinking? You got it, the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. So having it be exposed to mercury vapor over the long run is very bad for your thinking and emotional well being. Look at the picture below. From the yellow part to the brain on a daily basis. Ouch.
“Mercury vapor, once inhaled and absorbed in the nasal cavity, can enter olfactory neurons and hitch a ride via retrograde axonal transport to the olfactory bulb and deeper brain structures. This is a direct route for neurotoxic damage, bypassing the blood-brain barrier.”
Nasal Epithelium Vulnerability
The olfactory epithelium is a thin, sensitive layer located at the roof of the nasal cavity. It’s directly exposed to inhaled air and thus vulnerable to airborne toxins like mercury vapor.
Clinical Observations
• Individuals exposed to mercury vapor have reported:
• Loss or distortion of smell (anosmia or dysosmia)
• Taste disturbances, which often accompany olfactory dysfunction
• Cognitive and mood changes, which may indirectly affect sensory perception
- “Studies in rodents have shown detectable mercury accumulation in the olfactory bulb and adjacent brain regions within hours to days of exposure.
- In animal models exposed to mercury vapor at concentrations around 0.5–3 mg/m³, nanogram to microgram levels of mercury have been found in the olfactory bulb and frontal cortex.
- The axonal route is considered minor in total body burden, but major in localized neurotoxicity, especially for regions like the olfactory bulb and limbic system.
- Even small amounts of mercury delivered directly to the brain can have outsized effects due to its affinity for thiol groups and its ability to disrupt mitochondrial function, calcium signaling, and neurotransmission.
- This route is particularly concerning for chronic low-level exposure, where cumulative damage may occur without overt systemic toxicity.”
Chronic low level exposure huh? Well that is just what we get from the mercury vapor that escapes dental mercury amalgam fillings. And what about the limbic system?
🧠 Limbic System Vulnerability
The limbic system includes structures like the hippocampus, amygdala, olfactory bulb, and cingulate gyrus. These regions are:
- Highly vascularized, making them susceptible to circulating neurotoxins.
- Rich in thiol-containing enzymes and receptors, which mercury binds to aggressively.
- Involved in neurotransmitter regulation, especially glutamate, dopamine, and serotonin—all of which mercury can disrupt.
Mercury’s Mechanisms of Disruption
- Oxidative Stress: Mercury depletes glutathione and induces ROS, damaging neurons in the hippocampus and amygdala.
- Neuroinflammation: Microglial activation leads to chronic inflammation, which impairs synaptic plasticity and emotional regulation.
- Calcium Dysregulation: Mercury interferes with calcium channels, disrupting long-term potentiation (LTP)—a key process in memory formation.
- Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Energy deficits in limbic neurons impair mood stability and cognitive resilience.
Clinical and Experimental Findings
Animal studies show mercury exposure leads to:
- Reduced hippocampal neurogenesis
- Impaired spatial memory
- Anxiety-like behaviors linked to amygdala dysfunction
Human data (from industrial exposure and fish consumption) suggest:
- Mood disturbances: irritability, depression, emotional lability
- Memory lapses and executive dysfunction
- Olfactory deficits (via the olfactory bulb, which connects directly to limbic circuits)
So what does this mean for us schmucks? Well you would want to avoid mercury vapor exposure via the following.
- Remove mercury dental amalgam fillings and do not get them under any circumstances. Use safer materials. The long term effects are not good and the bioaccumulative impacts can lead to anxiety, mood changes, memory impairment and poor mental processing meaning lower IQ. It will make you dumber and more irrational.
- Avoid mercury vapor or other industrial exposure. Don’t break open fluorescent lamps, smelt gold ore etc. Most probably aren’t doing this anyways.
- Consider detoxification if you don’t have these fillings any longer (not before removal). You can use liposomal glutathione. I detail how to do this in another post. I believe it is possible to remove mercury from the body and brain via liposomal glutathione.
- Why glutathione? Because it is a very powerful anti-oxidant that the body makes and also gets depleted of easily under oxidative conditions of stress like mercury exposure, cancer and alcoholism. It has a sulfur end on the molecule and mercury loves to bind with sulfur molecules due to electron state. So it acts as a mercury magnet in the body and brain. It also gives you really good skin tone (people use it for that).
- Why liposomal? Because you have to find a way to import it into the body and brain without it being broken down in the stomach. So what we are doing is importing this detoxifier into the areas where it is needed the most.
Remember the impacts of mercury may take a long time to play out. There is another article that I saw the links mercury exposure to dementia. Do you really want to end up in one of those memory care facilities popping up all over the place for the baby boomers? They cost about $10K per month. I would rather spend the money traveling and doing fun stuff when old age comes. Besides I don’t have that kind of money and you may not either. I would rather be on the beach in Italy or enjoying NYC than forgetting my own name and living in some terrible place.
And what did Co-Pilot AI say about this? It agrees with my hypothesis.
Yes, mercury vapor in the nasal cavity can potentially impair the sense of smell—especially with chronic or high-level exposure.
Mechanism of Impact
• Neurotoxicity: Mercury is highly neurophilic, meaning it binds tightly to nerve tissue. It can disrupt olfactory receptor neurons in the nasal epithelium and interfere with signal transmission to the brain.
• Retrograde Axonal Transport: Mercury absorbed in the nasal cavity may travel along olfactory nerves into the central nervous system, damaging the olfactory bulb and cortex—critical areas for smell perception.
🧬 What Is Axonal Transport?
Axonal transport is the bidirectional movement of cellular cargo along the axon of a neuron. Since axons can be incredibly long (up to a meter in humans), neurons rely on this transport system to move materials efficiently—diffusion alone would be far too slow.
Types of Axonal Transport
• Fast transport: Moves membrane-bound organelles like vesicles and mitochondria.
• Slow transport: Carries cytoskeletal proteins and enzymes, often using a “stop-and-go” mechanism. How It Works
- Microtubules: These act as intracellular highways, polarized with a plus-end (toward the axon terminal) and minus-end (toward the soma).
- Motor Proteins:
- Kinesin: Drives anterograde transport.
- Dynein: Powers retrograde transport.
- These proteins “walk” along microtubules using ATP, dragging cargo in vesicles or protein complexes.
Why It Matters for Neurotoxins
Mercury vapor, once inhaled and absorbed in the nasal cavity, can enter olfactory neurons and hitch a ride via retrograde axonal transport to the olfactory bulb and deeper brain structures. This is a direct route for neurotoxic damage, bypassing the blood-brain barrier.
There you go. Just as I said it would work.
What’s in it for me? Nothing. I am just providing information based on personal experience and research. I don’t want others to go through what I did. But you should consider the financial motivations of those that tell you mercury is safe. Do dentists make money off placing these fillings? You bet. Do insurance companies save money by recommending the cheaper amalgam fillings over more pricey yet safer white ceramic and resin filings? For sure. Does the drug industry benefit from selling anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications and allergy meds? Yes. Do nursing homes make tons of money providing care for Alzheimer’s folks? Yes indeed. So they have a vested interested in not helping you to be clean and pure physically. All I am saying is get this poison out of your body. The scientific evidence is there if you search. Ask AI if you want. But remember people were also told cigarettes, asbestos, lead paint, leaded gasoline and pesticides were all ok to be exposed to back in the day. If you can’t throw a fluorescent light bulb with mercury in the normal trash why is it ok to put mercury in your mouth? That’s something to think about eh?
Here are some supporting scientific articles for your reading pleasure.
Mr. Cash Hoarder 