ELECTRIC toothbrushes could be leaving traces of heavy metals in your
mouth.
Phillip Colquitt, a nurse and lab technician who runs an independent research
company in Queensland, Australia, wondered why he was left with a metallic taste
after using his powered brush. So he scrubbed some test tubes with the brush and
several toothpastes, and sent the slurries off for analysis.
A surprising amount of nickel and chromium came off the brush, he will report
in The Science of the Total Environment. After six minutes鈥� brushing,
levels of chromium were a fifth of the daily recommended intake. These metals
have been known to trigger chelitis, an allergy that causes inflammation of the
lips.
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Colquitt recommends that dentists take a closer look at brushes with metal
parts to see if they pose a health risk. In the meantime, he says, 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛
use one.鈥�