Although FDA appears to agree that reference air concentrations derived for the protection of the non-occupationally exposed, general population should be employed for the assessment of potential risks posed by amalgam
From FDA Final Rule: “These reference values… are considered to represent chronic or lifetime inhalation exposures that are free from adverse health outcomes and protective of human health for all individuals, including potentially sensitive populations such as children prenatally or postnatally exposed to mercury vapour.”
the only comparisons the FDA presents relate to effects and exposure levels reported in occupational studies of adults.
Health Canada (1995), on the other hand, directly compared mercury vapor exposure from dental amalgam to such a reference exposure level specifically derived for the protection of the general population.
