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The controversy centres on the fact that amalgams contain mercury. In high enough concentrations, mercury is toxic.Some make the point that amalgams make people sick from allergies to neurotoxicity to a whole host of other systemic alimentsThere has been a great deal of bunk science done on amalgam.I will simply post some key concensus documents which also reference reputable science with respect to the use of dental amalgam.the overall consensus is that amalgam has been used for more than 200 years and except for a small number of patients who might have sensitivities to it, it is safe.Another key point made across the documents is that wholsesale removal of amalgam filling from patient is not indicated.Statement on Dental AmalgamStatement on Dental AmalgamFor dental patients: Please visit the ADA’s MouthHealthy website for information about amalgam and silver-colored fillings.Dental amalgam is considered a safe, affordable and durable material that has been used to restore the teeth of more than 100 million Americans. It contains a mixture of metals such as silver, copper and tin, in addition to mercury, which binds these components into a hard, stable and safe substance. Dental amalgam has been studied and reviewed extensively, and has established a record of safety and effectiveness.The FDI World Dental Federation and the World Health Organization concluded in a 1997 consensus statementi: “No controlled studies have been published demonstrating systemic adverse effects from amalgam restorations.” Another conclusion of the report stated that, aside from rare instances of local side effects of allergic reactions, “the small amount of mercury released from amalgam restorations, especially during placement and removal, has not been shown to cause any … adverse health effects.”In 1998, the ADA’s Council on Scientific Affairsii published its first major review of the scientific literature on dental amalgam which concluded that “based on available scientific information, amalgam continues to be a safe and effective restorative material.” The Council’s report also stated, “There currently appears to be no justification for discontinuing the use of dental amalgam.”In an articleiii published in the February 1999 issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association, researchers report finding “no significant association of Alzheimer’s Disease with the number, surface area or history of having dental amalgam restorations” and “no statistically significant differences in brain mercury levels between subjects with Alzheimer’s Disease and control subjects.”A 2003 paper published in the New England Journal of Medicineiv states, “Patients who have questions about the potential relation between mercury and degenerative diseases can be assured that the available evidence shows no connection.”In 2004, an expert panel reviewed the peer-reviewed, scientific literature published from 1996 to December 2003 on potential adverse human health effects caused by dental amalgam and published a report. The review was conducted by the Life Sciences Research Office (LSRO) and funded by the National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Devices and Radiological Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The resulting report states that, “The current data are insufficient to support an association between mercury release from dental amalgam and the various complaints that have been attributed to this restoration material. These complaints are broad and nonspecific compared to the well-defined set of effects that have been documented for occupational and accidental elemental mercury exposures. Individuals with dental amalgam-attributed complaints had neither elevated urinary mercury nor increased prevalence of hypersensitivity to dental amalgam or mercury when compared with controls.” The full report is available from LSRO (The Life Sciences Research Office (LSRO)). A summary of the review is published in Toxicological Reviews.vIn 2006, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and Environmental Health Perspectives published the results of two independent clinical trials designed to examine the effects of mercury release from amalgam on the central and peripheral nervous systems and kidney function. The authors concluded that “there were no statistically significant differences in adverse neuropsychological or renal effects observed over the 5-year period in children whose caries are restored using dental amalgam or composite materials”;vi,vii and “children who received dental restorative treatment with amalgam did not, on average, have statistically significant differences in neurobehavioral assessments or in nerve conduction velocity when compared with children who received resin composite materials without amalgam. These findings, combined with the trend of higher treatment need later among those receiving composite, suggest that amalgam should remain a viable dental restorative option for children.”viiiIn May 2008, a Scientific Committee of the European Commission addressed safety concerns for patients, professionals and the use of alternative restorative materials.ix The committee concluded that dental amalgams are effective and safe, both for patients and dental personnel and also noted that alternative materials are not without clinical limitations and toxicological hazards.The ADA Council on Scientific Affairs prepared a comprehensive literature review (PDF) on amalgam safety that summarized the state of the evidence for amalgam safety (from January 2004 to June 2010). Based on the results of this review, the Council reaffirmed at its July 2009 meeting that the scientific evidence supports the position that amalgam is a valuable, viable and safe choice for dental patients.On July 28, 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its final rule on encapsulated dental amalgam classifying amalgam and its component parts, elemental mercury and powder alloy, as a class II medical device. Previously there was no classification for encapsulated amalgam, and dental mercury (class I) and alloy (class II) were classified separately. This new regulation places encapsulated amalgam in the same class of devices as most other restorative materials, including composite and gold fillings. At the same time, the FDA also reaffirmed the agency’s position that the material is a safe and effective restorative option for patients.The CSA supports ongoing research on the safety of existing dental materials and in the development of new materials, and continues to believe that amalgam is a valuable, viable and safe choice for dental patients.Referencesi. FDI Policy Statement/WHO Consensus Statement on Dental Amalgam. September 1997. Accessed October 9, 2013.ii. ADA Council on Scientific Affairs. Dental Amalgam: Update on Safety Concerns. J Am Dent Assoc. 1998;129:494-503. Accessed October 9, 2013.iii. Saxe SR, Wekstein MW, Kryscio RJ, et al. Alzheimer’s disease, dental amalgam and mercury. J Am Dent Assoc. 1999;130(2):191-9. Accessed October 9, 2013. (Abstract)iv. Clarkson TW, Magos L, Myers GJ. The toxicology of mercury – Current exposures and clinical manifestations. N Engl J Med. 2003;349:1731-7.v. Brownawell AM, Berent S, Brent RL, et al. The potential adverse health effects of dental amalgam. Toxicol Rev 2005;24(1):1-10. Accessed October 9, 2013. (Abstract)vi. Bellinger DC, Trachtenberg F, Barregard L, et al. Neuropsychological and renal effects of dental amalgam in children: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2006;295(15):1775-83. Accessed October 9, 2013. (Abstract)vii. Bellinger DC, Daniel D, Trachtenberg F, Tavares M, McKinlay S. Dental amalgam restorations and children’s neuropsychological function: the New England Children’s Amalgam Trial. Environ Health Perspect 2007;115(3):443-6. Accessed October 9, 2013.viii. DeRouen TA, Martin MD, Leroux BG, et al. Neurobehavioral effects of dental amalgam in children: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2006;295(15):1784-92. Accessed October 9, 2013.ix. European Commission: Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks. The Safety of Dental Amalgam and Alternative Dental Restoration Materials for Patients and Users May 6, 2008. Accessed October 9, 2013.Another link from the Government of Canada which looks at amalgam safety and delves into amalgam policies from other countries:The Safety of Dental AmalgamStatement from the Canadian Dental Association on amalgam:https://www.cda-adc.ca/_files/position_statements/amalgam.pdfA paper on this controversy:The Dental Amalgam Toxicity Fear: A Myth or ActualityToxicology InternationalMedknow PublicationsThe Dental Amalgam Toxicity Fear: A Myth or ActualityMonika Rathore, Archana Singh, and Vandana A. PantAdditional article informationAbstractAmalgam has been used in dentistry since about 150 years and is still being used due to its low cost, ease of application, strength, durability, and bacteriostatic effect. When aesthetics is not a concern it can be used in individuals of all ages, in stress bearing areas, foundation for cast-metal and ceramic restorations and poor oral hygiene conditions. Besides all, it has other advantages like if placed under ideal conditions, it is more durable and long lasting and least technique sensitive of all restorative materials, but, concern has been raised that amalgam causes mercury toxicity. Mercury is found in the earth's crust and is ubiquitous in the environment, so even without amalgam restorations everyone is exposed to small but measurable amount of mercury in blood and urine. Dental amalgam restorations may raise these levels slightly, but this has no practical or clinical significance. The main exposure to mercury from dental amalgam occurs during placement or removal of restoration in the tooth. Once the reaction is complete less amount of mercury is released, and that is far below the current health standard. Though amalgam is capable of producing delayed hypersensitivity reactions in some individuals, if the recommended mercury hygiene procedures are followed the risks of adverse health effects could be minimized. For this review the electronic databases and PubMed were used as data sources and have been evaluated to produce the facts regarding amalgam's safety and toxicity.Keywords: Amalgam, mercury, myth, restoration, safety, tooth, toxicityINTRODUCTIONAmalgam, an alloy of mercury (Hg), is an excellent and versatile dental restorative material. It has been used in dentistry since 150 years due to its low cost, ease of application, strength, durability, and bacteriostatic effects.[1] Popularity of amalgam as restorative material is decreasing these days due to concerns about detrimental health effects, environmental pollution, and aesthetics.[2] The metallic colour of amalgam does not blend with the natural tooth colour so patients and professionals preferred tooth-coloured restorative material for cavity filling in carious teeth for better aesthetics. Researchers agree that amalgam restorations leach mercury into the mouth, but consistent findings are not available to report whether it has any significant health risk.[3] In this review, an attempt has been made to summarize that there is no convincing evidences pointed out to adverse health effects due to dental amalgam restorations and can be used as a preferred restorative material where aesthetics is not a concern.Amalgam composition and historical backgroundAmalgam consists of an alloy of silver, copper, tin, and zinc combined with mercury. Unreacted alloy particles of silver-tin are considered as gamma phase. These particles combine with mercury and form a matrix consisting of gamma-1(Ag2Hg3) and gamma-2 phases. (Sn7-8Hg). The gamma-2 phase is responsible for early fracture and failure of amalgam restorations. Hence, copper was introduced to avoid gamma-2 phase, replacing the tin-mercury phase with a copper-tin phase (Cu5Sn5).[4] Louis Regnart, known as the ‘Father of Amalgam’, improved on boiled mineral cement by adding mercury, which greatly reduced the high temperature originally needed to pour the cement on to a tooth. In 1890s GV Black gave a formula for dental amalgam that provided clinically acceptable performance and remained unchanged virtually for 70 years. In 1959, Dr Wilmer Eames[5] promoted low mercury-to-alloy mixing ratio. The mercury-to-amalgam ratio, dropped from 8:5 to 1:1. The formula was again changed in 1963, when amalgam consisting of a high-copper dispersion alloy was introduced.[6] It was later discovered that the improved strength of the amalgam was a result of the additional copper forming a copper–tin phase that was less susceptible to corrosion than the tin–mercury phase in the earlier amalgam.[7]Modern amalgams are produced from precapsulated (preproportioned) alloy consisting of 42% to 45% mercury by weight. These are convenient to use and provide some degree of assurance that the material has not been not contaminated before use or spilled before mixing.[8]Amalgam controversy and amalgam warIn the year 1843, the American Society of Dental Surgeons (ASDS), founded in New York City, declared use of amalgam to be malpractice because of the fear of mercury poisoning in patients and dentists and forced all its members to sign a pledge to abstain from using it.[9] It was the beginning of the amalgam war.[10] Because of its stance against amalgam, membership in the American Society of Dental Surgeons declined, and due to the loss of members, the organization was disbanded in 1856 thus resulting in the end of the amalgam war. In 1859, the American Dental Association (ADA) was founded and it did not forbid use of amalgam.[11] The ADA position on the safety of amalgam has remained consistent since its foundation. In 1920s inferences were made that mercury was not tightly bound in amalgam so its use was discouraged. In 1991, National Institute of Health-National Institute for Dental Research (NIH-NIDR) and FDA concluded that there was no basis for claims that amalgam was a significant health hazard,[12] but claims of amalgam hazards continued to be published in non-scientific journals, and occasionally in scientific journals.Mercury exposure from amalgam restorationsMercury is ubiquitous in environment and humans are routinely exposed via air, water, and food.[8] Exposure to mercury in human individuals with amalgam restoration occurs during the placement or removal of dental restorations. Once the reaction is complete, less amount of mercury is released, that is far below the current health standard.[8] The exposure to mercury from restoration depends on the number and size of restoration, composition, chewing habits, food texture, grinding, brushing of teeth, and many other physiological factors. As a vapour, metallic mercury could be inhaled and absorbed through the alveoli in the lungs at 80% efficiency. It is the main route of entry of mercury into the human body, whereas the absorption of metallic mercury through skin or via the gastrointestinal tract is very poor.[8] The organic compounds of mercury such as methyl mercury are readily absorbed by many organisms and accumulate as it passes into food chain. Research on monkeys had shown that mercury released from amalgam restorations is absorbed and accumulated in various organs such as kidney, brain, lung, liver, gastro-intestinal tract, and the exocrine glands.[13] The organic form of mercury was also found to have crossed the placental barrier in pregnant rats[14] and proven to cross the gastrointestinal mucosa when amalgam particles are swallowed at the time of amalgam insertion or during removal of old amalgam fillings,[15] whereas the inorganic form of Mercury ions (Hg+2) circulate into the blood stream but hardly cross the blood–brain barrier and placental barrier.Mercury does not collect irreversibly in human tissues. The average half life of mercury is 55 days for transport through the body to the point of excretion. Thus mercury that came into the body years ago may no longer be present in the body.[8]Diagnostic methods to detect levels of mercury in bodyToxicity from mercury could occur through exposure to organic, inorganic, and elemental forms of mercury. According to decreasing toxicity of mercury it is classified as organomercury (methyl and ethyl mercury), mercury vapour, and inorganic mercury. Various diagnostic methods exist to detect the level of mercury in body, including tests for blood, urine, stool, saliva, hair analysis, and others. These tests may determine if mercury is in the body and/or if it is being excreted. A study[16] conducted by measuring the intraoral vapour levels over a 24-h period in patients with at least nine amalgam restorations showed that the average daily dose of inhaled mercury vapour was 1.7 μg (range from 0.4 to 4.4 μg), which is approximately 1% of the threshold limit value of 300 to 500 μg/day established by WHO, based on a maximum allowable environmental level of 50 μg/day in the workplace. According to Berdouses et al.[17] mercury exposure from amalgam can be greatly increased by personal habits such as, chewing and brushing.Berglund,[18] in 1993, determined the daily release of mercury vapour from amalgam restorations made of alloys of the same types and batches as those used in the in vitro part of the study. He carried out a series of measurements on each of eight subjects before and after amalgam therapy and found that none of the subjects were occupationally exposed to mercury. The amalgam therapy, that is, from 3 to 6 occlusal amalgam surfaces and from 3 to 10 surfaces in total-had very little influence on the intraoral release of mercury vapour, regardless of amalgam type used, effects was not found on mercury levels in urine and saliva. Rapid and reliable detection of mercury in blood and urine resulting from environmental and occupational exposure may be carried out by using atomic fluorescence spectrophotometry.[19] Measurements of total mercury in the urine tend to reflect inorganic mercury exposure and total mercury levels in whole blood are more indicative of methyl mercury exposure. Commonly two types of urine tests have been used in which one is the unprovoked mercury test that does not use a pharmaceutical mercury chelator and only reflects the amount of mercury the body naturally removes via the urine. The other is the urine mercury challenge (provoked) test, which uses a pharmaceutical chelator to remove the mercury captured via the kidneys/urine pathway. Both methylmercury and inorganic mercury can also be measured in breast milk. The relative proportions of these species depend on the frequency of fish consumption, dental amalgam status, and occupational exposures. In a study for comparison of hair, nails, and urine for biological monitoring of low level inorganic mercury exposure in dental workers, the data suggested that urine mercury remains the most practical and sensitive means of monitoring low level occupational exposure to inorganic mercury.[20]Various related studiesIn this review electronic databases and PubMed have been used for data sources and articles from peer reviewed journals and various organizations including WHO (1991), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) (1999), US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA,1997), the National Research Council (NRC) (2000), the Institute of Medicine (2001; 2004) and Life Science Research Office (LSRO) (2004) have been evaluated to investigate the biochemical, behavioural, and/or toxicological effects resulting from exposure to amalgam, mercury vapour (HgO), inorganic mercury (Hg2+), or organic mercury (methyl and ethyl mercury). The LSRO search was limited to in vivo studies on humans relevant to amalgam and biochemical, behavioural and/or toxicological effects as health effects in laboratory animals do not reliably predict health effects in humans.Effects of prenatal mercury exposureNonionized mercury is capable of crossing through lipid layers at membrane barriers of the brain and placenta, is oxidised within these tissues and is slowly removed. This fact has become the basis for claims of neuromuscular problems in patients with amalgam restorations.[8] Removing these restorations do not eliminate exposure to mercury. Maternal amalgam restoration results in in utero exposure to low levels of elemental mercury. There is no evidence that exposure to mercury has been associated with any adverse pregnancy outcomes or health effects in the newborn and infants. In a prospective study consisting of 72 pregnant women, it was found that the number and surface areas of amalgam restorations positively influenced the concentration of mercury in amniotic fluid. The levels of mercury detected in amniotic fluid were low and no adverse outcomes were observed during the pregnancy or in the newborns.[21] Blood samples obtained from umbilical cord had no significant mercury levels considered to be hazardous for neurodevelopmental effects in children using the EPA reference dose (5.8 μg/L in cord blood).[22] To find co-relation between mercury exposure from amalgam restorations placed during pregnancy and low-birth weight 1,117 women with low birth weight infants were compared with random sample of 4,468 women who gave birth to infants with normal birth weight. Women (4.9%) had at least one amalgam restoration placed during pregnancy. These women were not at greater risk for a low birth weight infant and neither were women who had 4 to 11 amalgam restorations placed.[23] In a study conducted by Daniels[24] 90% of the women received dental care during pregnancy. Having more restorations placed at time of conception did not negatively affect pregnancy or birth outcome. Mean umbilical cord mercury concentration was slightly higher in women who had dental care. However, cord mercury concentrations did not differ significantly among mothers in relation to amalgam restoration during pregnancy or by the number of amalgams in place prior to pregnancy. Overall, amalgam restorations were not associated with negative birth outcomes or delayed language development. They stated that amalgam restorations in girls and women of reproductive age should be used with caution to avoid prenatal mercury exposure, although there were no adverse effects seen.Health effects of amalgam in childrenThe Children's Amalgam Trial is a randomized trial, to address potential impact of mercury from amalgam restorations on neuropsychological and renal function in children. Bellinger et al.[25] conducted a study on 534 New England children, aged 6–10 years for 5 years. All subjects were in need of at least two posterior occlusal restorations. Participants were randomized to receive either amalgam or composite restoration at baseline and at subsequent visits. The primary endpoint was to assess the 5-year change in IQ scores. Secondary endpoints included measures of other neuropsychological assessments and renal functioning. In the 5-year follow-up period the investigators conducted multiple assessments of IQ score, memory index, and urinary albumin. No statistically significant differences were reported in neuropsychological or renal effects observed in the children who had amalgam restorations compared to those with composite restorations.In another study, authors have concluded that there was no difference in the neuropsychological function of the children who received amalgam restorations compared to the children with composite restorations.[26] A dose-effect analysis of children's exposure to amalgam and neuropsychological function was also evaluated in the children's amalgam trial. The authors examined a sample of children with substantial unmet dental needs using a dose–effect analysis. There was no significant association between neuropsychological outcomes and mercury exposure. The authors concluded that there appeared to be no detectable adverse neuropsychological outcomes in children attributable to the use of amalgam restorations.[27] The relation between amalgam and the psychosocial status of children was also assessed as a part of the New England Children's Amalgam Trial (NECAT). The two groups of children were examined for psychosocial outcomes. It was carried out using both a parent-completed “Child Behaviour Checklist” and children's self-reports and concluded that there was no evidence associated with adverse psychosocial outcomes in the 5-year period following amalgam placement.[28]Kingman et al.[29] studied correlation between exposure to amalgam and neurological functions. No significant associations between amalgam exposure and clinical neurological signs of abnormal tremor, coordination, gait, strength, sensation or muscle stretch reflexes or for any level of peripheral neuropathy in the subjects have been observed. A significant association was detected between amalgam exposure and the continuous vibro-tactile sensation response. The study reported that this association was a subclinical finding that was not associated with symptoms, clinically evident signs of neuropathy or any functional impairment.In the Children's Amalgam Trial, one of the secondary endpoints included renal functioning. The investigators assessed changes on markers of glomerular and tubular kidney function and urinary mercury levels. They found no significant differences between the treatment groups and no significant effects related to the number of dental amalgam restorations on the markers. Children in both treatment groups experienced micro albuminuria, but the prevalence was higher in amalgam group. The authors concluded that the increase in micro albuminuria may be random, but should be further evaluated.[30] The other safety trial was conducted in Lisbon, Portugal[27] in which a randomized controlled clinical trial carried out in 507 children 8- to 10-years old at baseline. They were evaluated for several years thereafter to determine if any health changes occurred following restorations with amalgam or composites. On carrying out annual standardized tests of memory, attention, physical coordination, and velocity of nerve conduction, the scientists did not detect a pattern of decline in the test scores of individual children who received amalgam restorations. They found a trend of higher treatment need in children receiving composite, thus suggesting that amalgam should remain a viable dental restorative option for children. The investigators performed annual clinical neurological examinations to assess neurobehavioral and neurological effects. The authors concluded that amalgam exposure had no adverse neurological outcomes.[31]The 7 years of longitudinal data provide extensive evidence about relative safety of amalgam in dental treatment. Substantial amalgam exposure did lead to creatinine adjusted urinary mercury levels that were higher in the amalgam group. Children with amalgam restorations had slightly elevated levels of mercury in their urine, measuring on average 1.5 μg/L of urine for the first two years and levelling off to 1.0 μg/L or less thereafter. However, these values fall within the background level of 0–4 μg/L, which is usual for an average person not exposed to industrial or other known sources of mercury.[32] Thus, the longitudinal studies on the use of amalgam in children did not suggest any negative effects on neuropsychological function or renal function within the 5-year follow-up period. It was reported that urinary mercury concentrations were highly correlated with both the number of amalgam restorations and the time since placement in children. The finding suggested that there may be sex-related differences in mercury excretion. They found that females have significant increase in the rate of mercury excreted in urine than males. Thus, this association might confer a lower mercury toxicity risks in females.[33] Dunn et al.[34] evaluated scalp, hair, and urine mercury content of children collected over the 5-year period, mean hair mercury level was 0.3–0.4 μg/g and mean urinary mercury level was 0.7–0.9 μg/g creatinine. The authors reported that use of chewing gum in the presence of amalgam restoration was a predictor of higher urinary mercury levels. Data suggested that amalgam-associated mercury exposure might be reduced by avoidance of gum-chewing in the presence of amalgam restorations.Sixty children were studied to assess urinary mercury excretion and its relation to amalgam restoration and fish consumption. Children with amalgam restorations had significantly higher urinary mercury levels compared to children with non-amalgam restorations. The urinary mercury levels in the amalgam group were well below levels that are known to cause adverse health effects.[35]Health effects related to mercury exposure in adultsAn investigation on 20,000 people in the New Zealand Defence Force between years 1977–1997 was done to find out association between amalgam restorations and disorders related with nervous system and kidney. No significant correlation between amalgam restorations and chronic fatigue syndrome or kidney disease was observed. A slightly elevated risk for multiple sclerosis was reported, but may have been due to confounding variables.[36] In another study, where few patients believed that their amalgam restoration made them ill, medical examination including physical examination, electrocardiogram, abdominal sonography, and blood chemistry was done. The study concluded that symptoms of the patients were due to psychological factors. There was no connection between the mercury levels in the patient's blood, urine, and saliva and their symptoms.[37] The association between amalgam and multiple sclerosis was assessed via a systematic review and meta-analysis. Three case control studies and one cohort study met their inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis revealed a slight nonstatistically significant increase between the presence of amalgam restorations and multiple sclerosis. The study does not provide evidence for or against an association.[38]Halbach et al.[39] evaluated the internal exposure to amalgam-related mercury and estimated the amalgam-related absorbed dose of mercury. The integrated mercury absorbed from amalgam restorations was estimated at up to 3 μg per day for an average number of restorations and 7.4 μg per day for a high amalgam load. The authors concluded that these estimates are below the tolerable dose of 30 μg per day established by WHO.Hypersensitivity reactions by amalgam restorationsAmalgam is capable of producing delayed hypersensitivity reactions in some individuals. These reactions usually present with dermatological or oral symptoms. The constant exposure to mercury in amalgam restorations may sensitize some individuals, making them more susceptible to oral lichenoid lesions. These oral lesions are rarely noticed by the affected individuals and cause no discomfort. There is evidence that a certain percentage of lichenoid lesions are caused by amalgam restorations,[40] but other restorative materials can also cause lichenoid lesions. It was also noted that the restorations associated with lichenoid lesions are poorly contoured, corroded and old. Hence corrosion of amalgam restoration or perhaps the biofilm present on such restorations may contribute to the development of hypersensitive reaction rather than material itself.[41] Symptoms of an amalgam allergy include skin rashes in the oral, head and neck area, itching, swollen lips, localized eczema-like lesions in the oral cavity. These clinical signs usually require no treatment and will disappear on their own within a few days of exposure. However, in some instances, an amalgam restoration will have to be removed and replaced with alternate restorative material. The replacements have led to significant improvements.[42] Although mercury allergy is rare but sometimes hypersensitivity to it may lead to dermatitis or type IV delayed hypersensitivity reactions most often affecting the skin as a rash.[43]Mercury exposure in dental professionalsDentists and dental nurses are at risk of potential exposure to inorganic mercury through their handling of amalgam, although now days their exposure has reduced due to low mercury to alloy ratio and through mercury management. One hundred and eighty dentists were evaluated in West Scotland for mercury exposure and its effects on their health and cognitive function. Dentists were found to have, on an average, over four times the level of urinary mercury compared to age and education-matched control subjects. The authors reported that based on their questionnaire, dentists were more likely to report having a disorder of the kidney, although the effect was not significantly associated with their urinary mercury level. An age effect was found for memory disturbances in dentists but not in the control subjects. There was no significant association between urinary mercury concentrations and self-reported memory disturbance.[44] A study on 43 dental nurses, with an average age of 52, were exposed to copper amalgam with a 30-year follow-up; were compared with 32 matched controls. It was concluded that the dental nurses did not appear to be neurobehavioraly compromised. Seven symptoms of mercury poisoning that were reported at a higher rate by exposed group than by the control group (arthritis, bloating, dry skin, headache, metallic taste, sleep disturbances, and unsteadiness). It did not appear that the investigators performed post-hoc testing to compensate for multiple comparisons.[45] The possible health risk of occupational exposure to mercury vapour in the dental office was assessed by evaluating the cytogenetic examination of leukocytes and blood mercury levels of dentists.[46] Genotoxicity of occupational exposure to mercury vapour in ten dentists was evaluated. The authors concluded that mercury vapour concentration in blood was below 0.1 mg/m3 and did not exhibit cytogenetic damage to leukocytes.Mercury management in dental operatoryIn 1999, the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs adopted mercury hygiene recommendations to provide guidance to dentists and their staff members for safe handling of mercury and minimizing the release of mercury into the dental office environment. These were updated in 2003 and are as follows: work in well-ventilated areas, remove professional clothing before leaving the workplace, periodically check the dental operatory atmosphere for mercury vapour, (use dosimeter badges or use of mercury vapour analysers for rapid assessment after any mercury spill or clean-up procedure). The current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), standard for mercury is 0.1 mg per cubic meter of air averaged over 8-h work shift. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has recommended the permissible exposure limit to be changed to 0.05 mg/m3 averaged over 8-h work shift over a 40-h workweek.[47] During preparation and placement of amalgam only precapsulated amalgam alloys should be used. If possible, recap single-use capsules after use, store them in a closed container and recycle them. Avoid skin contact with mercury or freshly mixed amalgam. Use high-volume evacuation systems when finishing or removing amalgam. Floor coverings should be non absorbent, seamless and easy to clean. Use of carpet in operatory is not recommended where an accidental mercury spill might occur. Chemical decontamination of carpeting may not be effective, as mercury droplets can seep through the carpet and remain inaccessible to the decontaminant. In case of accidental mercury spill a vacuum cleaner should never be used to clean up the mercury. Small spills (less than 10 g of mercury present) can be cleaned safely using commercially available mercury cleanup kits.Amalgam substitutesIn the recent year's composites, glass ionomer cements and a variety of hybrid structures have been used due to increased demand for aesthetic restorations. Composite serves better than amalgam when conservative preparation is recommended like small occlusal restorations, in which amalgam require removal of more sound tooth structure.[48] Composites have different setting reaction mechanisms and it interacts with the patient's tissues in different ways . The small organic molecules (monomers) react to form polymers. Some of the monomers may not have reacted during placement and therefore low levels remain in the set restoration, which are known to be toxic to cells and others may cause allergic reactions. The effects they cause vary depending on the substance and on the type of body tissue with which they come into contact. Concerns have been raised about the endocrine disrupting (in particular, oestrogen-mimicking) effects of plastic chemicals such as “Bisphenol A” used in composite resins.[49]Amalgam possesses greater longevity than composite.[50] However, this difference has decreased with continued development of composite resins.[51] Amalgam is moderately tolerant to the presence of moisture during placement. In contrast, technique for composite resin placement is more sensitive and require “extreme care” and “considerably greater number of steps”.[51] Mercury acts as bacteriostatic agent whereas TEGMA (constituting some older resin-based composites) “encourages the growth of microorganisms”.[51] The New England Children's Amalgam Trial suggested that the longevity of amalgam is higher than that of resin-based compomer placed in primary teeth and composites in permanent teeth.[50,52] Compomers and composites were seven times likely to require replacement than amalgam.[52] “Recurrent marginal decay” is the main reason for failure in both, amalgam and composite restorations, accounting for 66% (32/48) and 88% (113/129), respectively.[53] “Christensen[50] quoted Amalgam restorations are and will continue to be the mainstay of posterior tooth restorations for many years to come.” Though use of amalgam has decreased during the past few years, more studies on safety of composites or other aesthetic materials with long-term follow-up of are necessary before they can be considered a definitive alternative for amalgam.CONCLUSIONThe current use of amalgam has not posed a health risk apart from allergic reactions in few patients. Clinical justifications have not been available for removing clinically satisfactory amalgam restorations, except in patients allergic to amalgam constituents. Mercury hypersensitivity is an immune response to very low levels of mercury. There is no evidence that mercury released from amalgams results in adverse health effects in the general population. If the recommended mercury hygiene procedures are followed, the risks of adverse health effects in the dental office could be minimized. Amalgam is safe and effective restorative material and its replacement by nonamalgam restorations is not indicated. Also a recent review by the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs states that: “Studies continue to support the position that dental amalgam is a safe restorative option for both children and adults. When responding to safety concerns it is important to make the distinction between known and hypothetical risks.”

You do the thing you fear the most and face reality, process it and then, with hope leading you, you move forward on your path as a human being towards what’s next. So funny, more ironic than funny, that this Quora query shows itself on this day in my life.And… that’s because this is exactly where I am today, actually. Everything appears to being going so very wrong in my life. Perhaps it will all write itself with a little time and grace, mercy and light but in the meantime, I have children to still raise and life to experience, live and love. Having been down much darker paths before, I’m making a choice this time.I did not mess up the ‘write’ for ‘right’ above… I meant write. Perhaps writing will be a lost art eventually with artificial intelligences and advanced communications but writing for oneself is an art of self-discovery and perhaps, for me, in time, self-healing.So… instead of telling you this answer, I’ll show it to you all instead.“Closing a Chapter with What’s Most Important in Life” by Dr. Christopher Yerington on August 16, 2019When you fight for anything in life, if you go far enough and reach high enough, there will always be the failures and losses that forge future success. I took this picture of my youngest boys walking away from my wife and I at the USA Karate National Championships and US Team Trials this July in Chicago where they both competed with honor and lost. They did not lose their smiles, nor their vision for themselves in their futures, they lost some fights. Bruised and beaten, they returned to Columbus where we live and starting training again for 2020. They reminded me, through the lens of my camera that day and the love in my heart, always, that in the fractional moments of my extraordinary life what has been and always will be most important, family.When we humans tell stories, to explain, to teach, to enlighten or to frighten, it is almost always because we desire a piece of us to transcend our own lives and impact those we love and care about. Ultimately, we never truly understand the reach of our own history. We never live long enough to see our story really become his-story or her-story, we die before things we’ve said and done become part of the history for all.Almost ten years ago, approaching my 37th birthday, I sat in the gym alone in pain, wondering about the muscles and my strength on my left side; they were not used to be. I never would have guessed that a high forceps delivery on the day of my birth would secondarily cause declining function in the nerves of my left arm in my fourth decade of life. Inconceivable. Loss happens throughout life. The pain and suffering of those losses forge our characters. All of us. I knew something was wrong on that day, but despite all my education and experience I could not have fathomed my future, horribly wonderful and wonderfully horrible.Ten years later, that’s today, I approach my 47th birthday. Once again, confronting loss. Different this time, as it may be, I can assure you, learning to live with loss does not get easier with each iteration. There is no tolerance that the human animal can build up. In October of 2009, my left arm really failed me. Surgeons and Neurologists finally diagnosed the damage in my left brachial plexus. The median nerve below my left elbow barely functional. Signs of weakness and sensory loss were present in other neural distributions of the forearm and left hand. My career as an anesthesiologist, was over on December 1, 2009. I remember clearly seeing the results of the EMG and knowing, as a clinician, my time practicing clinical medicine was finished.That moment, I was sure, would be the worst of my life. As that human animal I am, I fought the inevitable consequence until the fight left me with one option, disability; no more intubations, no more anesthesia. From that point on I would feel the full force of pain, loss, misery and life. In many ways, I was my career, I mean, that career, I am no longer, but for a time in my life I could escape from everything in its pursuit of perfection and control. I know many doctors like me, those that are and become their careers.The loss of identity that accompanies the loss of a professional career is dramatic. Especially for those admired in our society, like physicians. I was reminded of this when I reached out two nights ago to a friend who lost her husband suddenly. He was only 56 years old. A doctor. He died two months ago in his sleep. Hypertension can be a silent killer. She was so happy I called just to check on her. Quickly the tears and sobs returned to her voice as she lamented. Her loss, his life too-short and the fact few of their friends really called and only a handful of people have visited since his passing. I was one of the very few who truly reached out to check-in on her. Still and ever, the Doctor… you cannot escape the training and drive to Heal other humans. That’s what I wanted to be, more than anything in this world, a healer. Perhaps selfishly, it was to heal from my own childhood, perhaps not so selfishly, in retrospect.It could be we are all guided to what we do best, even if that pursuit brings us equal parts victories and equal parts loss. A human thing to do, to overcome, to strive, to reach and to ultimately gain knowledge in the hopes it will create wisdom and a brighter future; I believe that was me, doing the human things expected of me, by me, for me but ultimately for others. When I went on disability, my friends stopped calling and visiting. The widow’s sounds on the phone, muffled as she tried and failed to smother them from me, they were there and hearing them partially hidden made them louder to my heart. Made me relive past loss. This, too, is human nature. Doctors do not want to remind themselves that losing their career and identity to disability can happen. Humans do not want to be reminded we all die.To compound my profound career loss and intimate loss of identity, one of my disability companies, Lincoln Financial, had miswritten my disability policy in a manner in which interpreting what and how I might be able to return to any gainful employment was impossible without their help. My Own-Occupation Period defined as “CUSTOM WORDING REQUIRED.” Not helpful. Lincoln took over all the group disability policies at my private practice group from MetLife only 19 days before my last day of employment. Lincoln rushed the paperwork. I got stuck on claim with a bad contract. “It happens,” I’ve been told too many times to count. That would have been okay had Lincoln selected to treat me with dignity and attempt to assist me in understanding the flawed contract language or offered to help me find a way back to gainful employment and purpose through working hard and producing resources. This is, in many ways the American Dream.Unable to get any answers out of Lincoln, I looked for other ways to make and grow my resources, investing what I had already earned and saved away. In 2012, my wife and I invested some savings and retirement in a new company in southern Ohio. This was a rural county with a 27% unemployment rate and a horrific opioid problem. I had assisted with the Narcan dosing studies back in the early 2000’s and had worked as a pain physician when needed at Ohio State University. I helped the DEA to close as many as three drug-pill-mills in southern Ohio during 2003–2005. Losing my own career made me sensitive to not working and the plight of the unemployed or underemployed. My wife and I thought the investment would be something that could satisfy many missing needs and a gaping hole in my purpose in life. This was the first company backed by Ohio’s new JobsOhio public-private partnership program for funding start-ups. A friend, another doctor, had made the introductions to the owners of this company. Over the years, my wife and I invested more as the company grew and expanded. Many others invested, more than sixty people. That doctor-friend, he’s the one who died in his sleep two months ago, too early in his life. I feel deeply for his widow. Part of me is glad he will not see the sequela of his introduction of myself and my wife to that company, it is maybe a mercy.Life moved forward and in the meantime, I grew increasingly agitated with Lincoln for not answering questions and only reading from my damaged disability policy when I was on the phone with them. They were awful but in fact they were just doing their jobs as directed by Lincoln’s disability claims department. I found legal counsel, an ERISA attorney, and proceeded to attempt to get answers to my questions from Lincoln via the judiciary process. I cannot stress in writing, nor can I adequately induce the emotion with words to have you understand the pain caused by the group of people at Lincoln. A group that myself and my family depended on and still depends on for income and resources. Dismissive, abrupt, callous, cruel, mocking and teasing and all apparently legal under ERISA law as long as they eventually pay up all that is owed by contract to you. No doctor should have Lincoln Financial as a group disability carrier. Don’t hate them and can’t blame them for their business decisions. Their stock has done well.In the back half of 2015, my wife and I find out that the investments and the company in southern Ohio has major problems. The two owners fight, file lawsuits and eventually one leaves, the SEC chasing him and fining him one million dollars. The other owner, the one with his name on the building, vows to repay everyone as he had personally guaranteed the principal investments, but then turns tail and hires an army of attorneys to get out of his responsibilities. All of it within the scope of human nature, at least the darker shades of mankind. Such are the risks of private investment. At the same time those investments enter limbo, my lawsuit against Lincoln to ‘know how my policy will function if I return to gainful employment’ is dismissed in Federal Court as Lincoln pays up what is owed. I finally learn and fully understand that ERISA law is for the insurance carriers, not the individuals insured. No answers, no anything… I stumble and fall all the way to suicidal ideation in 2016 under the pressures of loss of resources, all the unknowns, the loss of purpose, loss of direction, loss of the future(s) that I had dreamed for my life. You can always lose more until you just cannot. I connect with doctors going through issues where they believe suicide is an option because I have really been right there. I mean right there, not wanting to die, but being okay with it if it happened. I got help. My friends and family rallied to me and my wife far more than when I became disabled.By the end of 2016 I really felt far better than I had in years. I found a new passion, teaching and advising medical students and residents about proper income protection through disability insurance and risk mitigation in their financial lives. I’ve tried really hard not to bash Lincoln Financial, their term life insurance product is very competitively priced… but as a disability insurance carrier for medical professionals they leave much to be desired.Too many young doctors are saddled with incredible debt from their education and at the same time receive little or no financial training, not even basic financial literacy for their future incomes. Add to that, from 2000 to the Present there has been some 3,000%+ increase in the administration of American healthcare and graduate education for doctors. Then add the introduction of the electronic medical record at the same time which has stolen so much time from the practice of medicine, today’s medical practice does not resemble the institution I myself joined by donning my white coat in 1998. Yet, I had lived through loss, disappointment, a gigantic uncaring company. I had the experience and insight to help others. Lemons, but also, I knew the recipe for Lemonade. I began Physicians Income Protection, a company, in January 2017 to more formally educate and advise young doctors and dentists. Just a start, but with new hope in my work-life.I wrote online extensively, I met with medical students and residents, young doctors and dentists, commented on WCI and other medical finance blogs. I told my story again and again in hopes someone would do better or be protected better than I was in my own story, my own history shared and re-shared as a warning, as a story. Eventually, in 2018 clients asked me to help with navigating the purchase of homes, investment and benefit selections and I have steered nearly a dozen would-be-doctor-private-equity-investors into choosing more wise investments for their circumstances by thoroughly investigating the people involved with those investment selections. What I should have done far more thoroughly for myself and my wife in 2012. Last year, I reached a tipping point, I had to have more resources, more education and certifications and help in my growing financial education and advising business. I made the decision to merge my practice into Northwestern Mutual in Columbus, Ohio, at their invitation.My clients thought it was wonderful, my family thought it was fantastic and the White Coat Investor thought I was insane along with some other blogging-medical-financial voices. I thought it was a great opportunity to have a second career, another chance at the American Dream. I mean, really, how many of us ever get two chances at real professional career successes. An extraordinary life, I’ve had. Yet, almost ten years after the loss of one career, it seems life and time will once again choose for me to walk a different, unknown path along the journey. I’m mad about it. I’m sad about it. I have feelings that there are not enough non-letter characters on this keyboard to hide behind while bleeping out my true thoughts and emotions! Yet, I will choose to keep my smile and my vision of a better future for my life. That’s the choice here.Those investments in southern Ohio have finally reached the stage of everyone suing everyone to figure out what happened. In all that calamity, I’ve simply been astonished, and in the bad way, the really bad way, by our legal and justice systems. Wow. Disappointment is not a strong enough word. Dissatisfaction at the very least, but with extra displeasure, spicy distress, genuine organic disenchantment and full-flavored disillusionment in our American Justice System. I understand quite keenly and bitterly, I might add, the many injustices facing Americans within our own Court systems. I went to Law School for time and truly believed that ultimately, however messed up things get between humans and their endeavors, that at the end of the day, a few people would sit in judgement and figure out what happened and how to move those humans forward. Not true. I still want to believe that, but reality demonstrates something very different.The US Bankruptcy Court involved in helping to figure out what to do with the defunct company has now gone after the more than sixty investors in this JobsOhio backed southern Ohio company. The SEC wrote a scathing memo about victimizing the victims of fraud. The US Bankruptcy Trustee told the SEC to stay in their lane. The American Justice machine rolls onward. What a mess and I do mean it is a complete and utter mess. There’s almost no logic to any of it at this point but the ensuing disarray has ended up much like my left brachial plexus; broken, dysfunctional and once again robbing me of the capability to earn income in hopes of not being disabled one day. The increased stress and pain, suffering and worry of the last year has finally taken me to my breaking point… again. No suicidal ideation this time. Be thankful for small things in your life. Like, for instance, not wanting to kill yourself. Really, that is a step up from 2016 for me. Just profound dismay, sadness and hopelessness in reaching for my American Dream, grasping but out of reach in my life for now.I have really good lawyers. I know, I know, no one wants an attorney until they need one but having counsel, that one implicitly trusts, has been one of the highlights of the past year. I used to be that for other people, for other human animals. They would be frightened, sitting uncomfortably in the pre-operative area. I could take their pain away, lessen their worry and have them implicitly trust me with their life. Mastering that skill took everything I am. It was the most awesome of responsibilities and nothing in this life has come even close to the feeling at the end of a long day where everything went well, even more than right or good, approaching perfection a few times. You see, Lincoln’s behavior, JobsOhio secretive private-public partnership, the owners in southern Ohio lying, cheating and stealing millions of dollars from dozens of people has pretty much destroyed my faith in trusting human beings. The doctors and dentists I meet with… I mean… met with professionally, helping them to shape a better, safer, more secure financial future, helped rebuild trust in our species. On some days, I could feel balance returning to my life. A good feeling, that was. Northwestern Mutual seeing the value I had for others was very encouraging for a future that has faded now into an unknown… “for the foreseeable future” as an attorney would comment.I made the decision to merge my growing company, Physicians Income Protection with a wealth advisory from Northwestern Mutual and completed that by the end of May of 2019 to vastly increase the scope of services and products for my clients. Despite what some say online about Northwestern Mutual and their approach to medical and dental professionals in the world of holistic financial services, they are a fantastic company with unbelievable people whose goals align with making people’s lives better. They make doctor’s lives better. I got my office finally set up this June. My first real office. Hard to express the joy that brought me, but I tear up writing this line. Meeting new doctors and residents, teaching people again, working again, feeling alive and purposeful again has been one of the moments I’ll cherish from this past year as time passes once again for me in an unknown state of affairs.For now, I have had to make the unbelievably difficult decision to pause the work-part of my life so that I can attend to matters so ridiculous they bend credibility into a knot but attend to them nonetheless I must for myself, my family and my future. If you cannot tell, I’m as pissed as I am melancholy but unlike last time, I’ve seen loss before and the depths it can take one to… experience gives me an alternative to fighting for everything I want and thusly, the unbelievably difficult decision I’ve made.In concert with attorneys and my business partners at Northwestern Mutual, I have decided to mutually terminate my contract and step back from the world of financial advising, disability insurance and holistic life and financial planning. I hope not forever. As preposterous as it sounds, earning money may hurt the people I love and care for in my life. Sadness fills me most of the time each day. It is my sincere hope that once all the legal machinations with the US Bankruptcy Court and the great State of Ohio are completed in 2022 or 2023 that I will once again be able to attempt a second career in this life, this journey. My journey. I do keep in mind; it is the journey and not the destination that defines our human lives.I can be religious about it. I have many clients that are deeply religious and they are a joy to converse with for perspectives. I’ve always been drawn to the depiction of lost human soul walking with Jesus upon the beach in the sand; only one set of footprints. The implication that you are carried by a force greater than yourself when you think you’ve gone and done as much as you can in this life. The picture I see today, in my head, is of Jesus’ footprints and a long ragged gouged line in the sand trailing the dragging of a poor lost soul forward upon the sands of his life to where he is supposed to be. More precisely, to when he is supposed to be and do what it is the world needs within the tapestry of life that binds us all. I’m the dragged soul. That’s the feeling of today.Losing is difficult. I hated it as an anesthesiologist even when I knew death was inevitable. Knowing death is inevitable, really knowing it adds tremendous meaning to today, to this Present, to the right now, metaphysically. At least it is supposed to from all I know and have learned. Doesn't mean it always feels that way. When I was a resident doctor, I was at every code making sure everything was done that was possible to rob death of that one soul on that one day. I had never had to give up at anything so precious to me until my body failed and my career ended… and even that was not really a choice. I can’t fathom the loss of a spouse or a child. I still hear the smothered cries from the phone call.This time, imagining myself back in Chicago, walking hand-in-hand with my wife, seeing our boys, the young brothers, arm around one another, I am choosing to step-back, walk away and close the chapter from the life I want. Perhaps, what I want doesn't really matter to the tapestry of life. I’m sure it, this process of stepping back, will not be entirely gracefully. I will assist every client I have in meeting, networking and knowing great people to advise them and assist them in building their lives in the ways I’ve been privileged to experience with them over the past few years. Truly and utterly, an honor from my point of view.Thank you, each and every person, who took the time to read this. Sometimes I believe in all our modernity we humans fail to really communicate with one another. We fear speaking from our hearts and minds because of the ridicule we may engender. I’m more comfortable writing when my emotions are exposed, when they are raw and full of rage and loss, like now. I’m more comfortable writing than speaking one-on-one. For those of you know me well, I’m a talker, for sure, and I’ll be glad to speak to each and every one of you who calls or visits. I just wanted you all to have a reference first.Thank you to each and every person who educated and assisted me in attempting to reboot my professional life, even Lincoln, though their example was much like falling out of a tree I should never have climbed as a child. I owe you a debt of gratitude that is difficult to express, let alone repay. I hope you will reach out if you need something; clients, colleagues, doctors, dentists, friends and family. All of you are welcome in every way I can offer for everything these past years. I will still be an instant-friend and counselor to any physician dealing with depression, who’s lost or experiencing loss, disability or suicidal ideation as you are all far too important to us, the American Society, to lose this way in this time in history. As dark as some days seem, I am an unapologetic optimist about America’s Healthcare future and the future of medicine.Although I am terribly sad inscribing this communication this day, I have always done my absolute best to be honest and open in my life because I believe that the stories, our stories that we tell one another about life and love multiply, they seed and reseed to grow our species into what comes next.~ChrisDr. Christopher YeringtonColumbus, OhioLink: https://www.doximity.com/pub/christopher-yerington-mdLink: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisyerington/Bio: Retired from clinical anesthesiology by a disability in 2010, Dr. Yerington had turned his love of teaching and service to others to his family, colleagues and the medical community for years. Having attended law and business schools, Chris was and still is a perpetual student of life. Personal Note: I will dearly miss this chapter in my life but each of us never really knows where the journey leads until we are there.

This answer may contain sensitive images. Click on an image to unblur it.When an extraordinarily talented boy is born, is robbed of his childhood, abused physically and emotionally by his overbearing and sadistic father, and given 750m- 1 billion dollars, Michael Jackson happens!!!!It is actually quite simple. Michael Jackson spent more money than he had. He lived beyond his means for many years. The King of pop lived indeed in a very kingly fashion. He was thus in a financial free fall. In 2005, he was was bringing in 10–20 million $ but he spent 30–40 million $ a year, twice or thrice his income, which kept adding layer upon layer of debt and that put him on cash poor position.No doubt Michael Jackson had a spectacular and larger than life lifestyle. He could spend 6 million dollars in one day, no object was unattainable for him. Anything he liked he bought it without a second thought!!! He spent millions of dollars on his mind blowing homes, out of this world vacation, exotic animals. He spent more money on security than any other pop star, he literally could not get out of his house without being mobbed by fans, he even had his own body double, Navi, whose full time job was to make people think he was Michael Jackson, for which he willingly went under the knife. Michael Jackson would either fly on private jets or on a concord, with the finest leather seats, Rolls Royce engines and its very own wine cellar (on a 12000 $ ticket).Jackson only stayed in the finest hotels, his posh hotel suites when he vacationed in the Bahamas cost a staggering 25.000 dollars per night!!!In 2002, Michael Jackson spent 62000 $ on a 5 day holiday in Paris. At Disneyland in L.A. Michael Jackson booked 3 floors all to himself!!! Michael Jackson ‘s personal chef Larry D. Banares at Eurodisney cost him an additional 2000 $ per day as he was on call 24/7!!! In Eurodisney he always stayed at the luxurious Sleeping beauty suite, cost several thousands $ per night.Also, he often booked an entire restaurant for himself, when others need to work a year to book a table!!! In 2001, Michael Jackson spent 500.000 dollars to have Tavern on the Green, one of the most profitable restaurants in New York, to himself and his 100 closest friends, for his post concert party to celebrate his 30th anniversary as a solo artist , after which he allegedly collapsed exhausted into his handlers’ arms.By 2005 however, Jackson had not released a new studio album since 2001, had not toured since 1997 and he kept spending like it was 1988 ( he made 125 million $ in 1988 alone ) !!! As a result, he could not pay his elecricity bills in Neverland in 2005 as he confessed to Ron Burkle, a billionaire friend of his , at Johnnie Cochran’s funeral. By 2000 his annual expenses totaled at least 20 million dollars, including 5 million dollars on security and Neverland maintenance, 5 million dollars on legal and professional fees, 7.5 million on personal expenses, 2.5 million dollars in miscellaneous costs and on top of that 11 million in interest on his massive loans!!!He spent thousands of dollars on mountains of toys and extraordinary jewellery. He could drop just 80.000 $ in just a few hours on toys. He spent 2 million $ on a diamond encrusted code of arms in 2003. Most of the time he never even asked how much something cost before buying it. When he went shopping the department stores closed down for him!!! He didn’t use shopping bags for his purchases, trucks showed up at the store the next day and picked up everything he bought. At some point he spent an outstanding 6 million dollars on jewellery, antiques, artwork in Las Vegas in only one day!!!Even though he owned ridiculously luxurious homes he often rented other places too. In 1999, he rented a 75.000 $ a month for nearly 2 years ( 2 million dollars) a 7 story, 12000 square foot, New York town house, with 6 bedrooms, a huge living room and a private elevator and just a few blocks away he kept a suite at the Four Seasons Hotel.He also wanted to buy a 1700 acres private village in Sicily, Italy for 31 million dollars!!! He never bought it but he had his eye on it!!!A forensic accountant , who testified in the 2005 trial, said that Jackson spent 15–20 million dollars per year more than he made. What did he spend it on? Artwork, antiques, jewellery, shopping sprees, utilities, legal fees, security, travel and charity. Michael Jackson supported 39 charities , more than any other celebrity , for which he was awarded with the World Record Guinness.He visited an orphanage and a children’s hospital in every city he toured, he made gigantic donations and often paid for sick kids’ medical expenses for years. Throughout his life he gave about 300 million dollars to charity, if not more. He donated 1,5 million dollars he got from Pepsi after he sustained 2nd and 3rd burn injuries during a pyrotechnic accident while filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984 to the hospital he was treated for his burn injuries for a burn center which was named after him and he donated all the money he made from his Victory tour in 1984, 4 to 6 million dollars , to charity, upon controversy for the expensive tickets. During the Victory tour Jackson traveled on a rental jet cost 1.3 million dollars. In 1984, the Jackson 5 signed a 5 million dollar endorsement deal with Pepsi. He gave his royalties from his single The Man in the Mirror from his Bad album in 1987 to charity. His Heal the World Project also helped many children in distress all over the world. In addition, he supported financially many of his family members. By the late 90’s his personal spending was estimated at 750.000 $ per month.The major problem was his extravagance, not the lack of income. He was still asset rich when he died but he had a cash crisis. He owed a lot of money, up to 400 million dollars. He borrowed 200 million dollars in December 1998 and an additional 70 million dollars in 1999 from Bank of America. The reason he took multi million dollar loans was firstly to pay off previous debts and to support his lavish lifestyle. Those loans defaulted in 2005 and were thus sold to Fortress, which charged him with double digit interest rates. In other words he paid at least 11 milion dollars per year only on loan interests!!!By the time he died in 2009 Jackson had not worked in a decade. His last World Tour was in 1997 and it only made a 10% cut of the profit because of the money he spent during the HIStory Tour on himself and its production cost. His ill fated comeback tour This is it, a lucrative 50 concert date residency at O2 Arena in London, would have secured him a 100 million dollar profit. The AEG tour promoter stalked him for a tour since 2007 but Jackson always refused. Though HIStory Tour was his highest in attendance tour ever it hardly broke even.He only made 10 - 20 million dollars on the History Tour ( 10% cut of the profit istead of 30%) , which grossed 165 million dollars , petty cash for Jackson, as Neverland’s annual maintenance cost alone was 5–6, sometimes even 10 million dollars , as at times Neverland staff ballooned up to 150 people. Why didn’t the History tour make Jackson more money, if it was so successful? Because he paid himself production costs the tour promoters didn’t approve of worth several thousands dollars, like a stunt with a working jet pack, cost 10.000 $ a pophe chartered private jets for him and his entourage to fly around the world, he rented an entire floor of luxurious suites , cost several thousands$ per night ( 12.500 $ per night a suite ). The landing fees at military fields, as the planes he flew in were too big to land at many civilian airports, cost Jackson 200.000 $!!!! He also paid lodging fees for security guards, publicists and managers!!! By 1999, according to Frank Cascio, Jackson’s assistant then, Jackson paid for the mobile phone bills of 500 people who worked for his companies he had never even met!!! By then his financial advisors varied from sketchy ( Dieter Weisner) to random ( Al Malnick, a Florida real Estate Mogul , alleged mobster) . In 1992, Sony asked Jackson to add 6.4 million dollars himself on a series of music videos. He also seemed uninterested in dealing with money issues. He seemed disengaged.His last studio album Invincible released in 2001 was considered a flop, though it was the top selling album of the year. The problem was that Jackson kept spending based on the peak of his cash flow, which had by then dramatically diminished, and kept borrowing against his asset base, thus placed a severe strain on his finances.Invincible only sold 10–13 million albums worldwide, thus, the sales were very disappointing compared to his previous albums. Invincible was a comeback album for Michael Jackson, who hadn’t released any new material since 1997, and he was hoping it would be his most successful album ever. The production cost were up to 40 million dollars. Michael Jackson was haunted by Thriller’s success , which he could never repeat again. He blamed Sony for not promoting Invincible and accused Mottola, whom he called a racist and the devil, of deliberately sabotaging his album and thus his finances so he would have to sell his 50% atv catalog for petty cash. In 2005, he was very vocal that Sony was behind the allegations of child molestation, which led to a multi million dollar, highly publicized trial. Truth be told Sony was always after his atv catalog, worth now at least 1–2 billion dollars ( as of 2016, Branca sold the catalog to Sony for 750 million $), because indeed Bashir whose infamous interview triggered the 2005 trial released an album under the record label of Sony in 2010 and Branca was fired in 2003 for working for Sony behind Michael’s back. There was thus a conflict of interest. However, his main conflict with Sony started before Invincible as Sony would not rever to him the masters of his songs licenses until many years later, which he used to get out of his contract.Ironically enough, it was Jackson who supported Mottola over Walter Yetnikoff ( the Jewish, recovering alcoholic, with the foul mouth President of CBS). He fired Frank Dileo in 1989, his manager since 1984, urged by David Geffen ( the billionaire movie and music mogul, Yetnikoff’s biggest enemy ) and hired Allan Grubman, Bert Fields and Sandy Gallin ( David Geffen’s and Tommy Mottola’s people). In 1990, Jackson fired John Branca only to rehire him in 1993. It was Branca who negotiated Jackson’s 50% sale of the atv catalog to Sony for 115 million, which at first offered Jackson only 75 million dollars for the entire catalogue, but Branca demanded he was given as a fee in addition 5 % of the catalog. Jackson , who was sued for millions by his Dangerous Tour promoters for breach of contract, as he cancelled his concert dates, woefully agreed. In 2006, Branca would oppose to a multi million dollar loan Jackson was trying to secure from Sony that would have allowed him to remain solvent and thus avoid involuntary bankruptcy based on this 5% of the catalog Jackson gave him in 1993. Jackson then second mortgaged Neverland to buy out Branca’s share and never saw Branca again , who along with MacClain emerged as co executors of his Estate, but only 9 days before he died on 25 June 2009. By February 2008 Neverland Ranch was facing foreclosure for 24 million dollars.Jackson refinanced his loan through Colony Capital, which led to his ill fated This is it comeback tour, as the Colony Capital Ceo Thomas Barrack ( good friends with AEG owner Philip Anschutz) would not buy his 24 million $ loan unless Jackson produced a revenue. Michael Jackson was introduced to real Estate billionaire Thomas Barrack by dr Tohme Tohme, a con man who used to be married to Randy Philips’ sister, worked for Colony Capital and later worked as Jackson’s manager and took complete control over Jackson’s life. Jackson was terrified of dr Tohme Tohme ( whom he met through his brother Jermaine) and fired him in May 2009. According to Frank Dileo Michael Jackson trusted the wrong people a lot of times in life. I believe dr Tohme Tohme injected Michael Jackson with the lethal shot that killed him. Michael Jackson’s bodyguard Whitfield said that Michael told him about his This is it comeback tour : ‘'You're going to see the vultures come down. Everyone's going to want a piece." He clearly feared for his life.Again, Jackson woefully agreed to THIS IS IT , even though the last thing he wanted to do was perform live and even though he had essentially abandoned Neverland ( as he felt it was contaminated by evil after it was raided by law enforcement) since 2005, when he was unanimously acquitted of child molestation, accusations which emerged from the Arvizo family, who during the 4 month public jury trial, were exposed for the perjurers, profiteers, serial false accusers and liars they were. Jackson helped Gavin Arvizo and his family financially , he gave them a laptop, a van , they charged thousands of dollars on the Neverland account on spa treatments , dental work, shopping sprees, he bought cancer patient Gavin an expensive watch, he had his Neverland employees donate blood for Gavin , without knowing that the Arvizos were con artists , who hustled celebrities for money, the mother Janet was a psychopath , who coached her kids to lie and prior to Jackson she falsely accused two other men of guess what: sex abuse. Michael Jackson was extremely naive at times and many took his kindness for weakness.The media circus trial, a waste of both Jackson’s and taxpayers’ hard earned money, took its toll on Jackson who could not eat or sleep, lost a lot of weight and was literally a dead man walking. The 3 million dollar bail was returned to him upon his acquittal ( it was 3 times higher than what the USA give to a murderer and it would have been 400.000 dollars for anyone else, allegedly paid by Al Malnick) but the large legal fees were an additional burden on Jackson , who was by then 300 million dollars in debt due to overspending and financial mismanagement.His lawyer Tom Meseareau was owed money (a 6 figure amount) for years (thanks to Jackson’s publicist Raymone Baine, who even had the nerve to sue Michael for 44 million $ alleging breach of contract in May 2009, a lawsuit that was eventually dismissed) and Mesereau was finally paid by the Estate after Jackson died in 2009. John Landis and Ola Ray, his Thriller video director and co star ,who also sued Jackson for unpaid royalties in 2009, were also paid by his Estate after Jackson died.Upon his acquittal in 2005 Jackson self exiled to Bahrein as a guest of Sheikh Abdullah of Bahrain ( he was introduced to the Sheikh by his brother Jermaine), who bankrolled Jackson's costs if he recorded the sheikh's own compositions. But the deal came to nothing. Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa sued Jackson for Dhs 5.7million ( 7 million $) in November 2008. In his lawsuit, Al Khalifa claimed he gave Jackson millions of dollars to help shore up his finances, cut an album, write an autobiography and subsidize his lifestyle — including more than $300,000 for a "motivational guru." The lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount, allegedly 5–7 million $. Neither the album nor book was ever produced. Michael Jackson and his children were understood to have been planning to fly in to Luton Airport by private jet and were reportedly booked into the Dorchester Hotel with his permanent detail of five bodyguards at around 7000 pounds!!!! a night, had the case not been settled out of court.However, after a time as a guest at the palace, Jackson bought a house formerly owned by a Bahraini MP. He moved into a mansion in Sanad, about 10km south of Manama, after reportedly paying 8 million $ !!! for the property, even though at the time he was on the brink of bankruptcy. He left Bahrein for good in June 2006 and he never came back. He then moved to Ireland and he returned to the USA in 2007, but not in Neverland , which he considered tainted after it was raided by 70 police officers on 18 November 2003, when 13 year old cancer survivor Gavin , who appeared in Bashir’s interview and Jackson helped battle cancer, accused him of molestation, when his family were referred to the same civil attorney Larry Feldman, who got the 15 million dollars settlement for the Chandlers’ in 1993, charges on which Jackson was cleared on 13 June 2005. California state labour officials urged Jackson to close the Neverland Ranch and fined him 169.000 $ for failure to provide employment insurance in 2006.Michael Jackson bought his atv catalog for 47.5 million dollars in 1985, an investment that generated a steady stream of multi million dollar income per year. He sold half of it to Sony for 115 million dollars in 1995. He used his catalogue, his own music’s rights and his Neverland ranch as leverage for the loans he took in 1998–99 from Bank of America. Michael Jackson bought his Neverland Ranch in 1988, a 3000 acres ranch with a 1000 foot square Tudor mansion in Santa Ynez Valley, for 19.5 million dollar cash. Until then he lived in Hayvenhurst, where the Jacksons moved in 1971, half of which he bought from his father, who was having financial problems, for 500.000 dollars in 1981. He owned 75% of Hayvenhurst Jackson house in Encino, California and his mother Katherine co owned the remaining 25% . By 2009, this property was also mortgaged and facing foreclosure.Jackson renovated Hayvenhurst to his liking and thus spent thousands of dollars on it. Hayvenhurst was in fact a smaller version of Neverland. By 1980 Jackson’s net worth was 37 million dollars, as his Off the Wall album sold over 20 million copies. However, it was Thriller , released in 1982, that launched Jackson to a financial nirvana. By 1985 Jackson was worth at least 1oo million dollars and by August 1985 he owned one of the best music catalogues, including the Beatles’ songs.Hayvenhurst was a Tudor style mansion with a three tiered white fountain, with peacocks, deer, llamas, a boa constrictor and even a giraffe lived on the site, while swans swam in attractive ponds. An enormous swimming pool featured fountainheads carved to resemble bearded Neptune”, and the house itself boasted a 32-seat movie theater, a trophy room lined with gold and platinum albums, and a private Jacuzzi exclusively for Jackson’s use.Not bad for Jackson who started from a two bedroom house in Gary, Indiana , his father Joe Jackson worked at US Steel as a crane operator and his mother Katherine worked part time at Sears struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table for their 9 kids. In 1968, he made half a penny a record as a member of the Jackson 5. In 1983 he made 43 million $ on Thriller and an additional 91 million $ in 1984. His Bad album and tour in 1988 netted him a staggering 125 million dollars. Since 1983, his annual earnings would all be at least double digit numbers. The spending however was twice or thrice as much. His Bad, Dangerous and HIStory albums all debuted at #1 and grossed 150 million dollars combined. Also, he owned the rights of his songs, most of which he wrote, composed and produced himself!!! His endorsement with Pepsi earned him 12 million dollars!!! Michael Jackson made money as easily and as fast as he spent it and vice versa. Hence, his cash flow was an issue in the 90’s and the ‘00’s.Jackson at 25 ( 1983) was already a multi millionaire and a veteran in show bizz. Jackson made 16 million dollars on Captain EO in 1986 , a space 3D opera that featured at Disney theme parks, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and executive produced by George Lucas, sold over 50 million albums of Thriller, 22 millions albums of Bad and his Bad tour had a record breaking profit of 125 million dollars!!! His cut on the Bad tour, attended by 4,5 million people, was 70 million dollars!!! In 1988, he released his autobiography Moonwalk, which immediately became a best seller. The 80’s was his golden era. Everything he touched in the ‘80’s turned into gold. In 1990, his fortune was estimated at least at 300 million dollars. After 1997 Jackson stopped touring and his album sales began to fall dramatically, however.He gifted his attorney John Branca , who negotiated the terms of the purchase of the Sycamore Valley Ranch in 1988, which he renamed to Neverland, with a Rolls Royce. He also gifted him with a Rolls Royce when Branca helped Jackson buy his atv catalog in 1985, arguably his best investment ever. Jackson was the best man in Branca’s wedding in 1987, where he appeared with his pet chimp Bubbles dressed in similar outfits. Bubbles the chimp, which Michael Jackson bought in 1984, was dressed in designer clothes and slept in a crib in Michael’s room. He also bought his mother Katherine a Rolls Royce in 1984. He bought his mother Katherine and Elizabeth Taylor diamonds worth million dollars!!! In 1991, Jackson insisted he paid 1.5 million dollars to host Taylor’s 7th wedding in Neverland.She gifted him with an elephant for his menagerie zoo to show her appreciation, which Jackson named Gypsy. After Elizabeth Taylor defended him in the documentary The Michael Jackson Interview: The footage you were never meant to see in 2003 , Jackson bought her a $600,000 necklace as a little thank you.He bought Debbie Rowe, his second wife and biological mother of his two eldest children Prince and Paris a car in the 80’s and he paid for her college tuition. Upon divorce in October 1999, Rowe also got an 8 million $ cash settlement, paid on thousands of dollars on an annual basis by Jackson, based on the prenup they signed before Jackson married 6 month pregnant Rowe in November 1996 in Australia. He also gifted her with a 2 million $ Beverly Hills mansion. Debbie Rowe said about Michael ‘’ He was magnanimus, he truly was’’.Prior to Debbie Rowe Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley in the Dominican Republic in May 1994. The marriage was a publicity stunt.His talent manager, Sandy Gallin, talked him into the marriage to quell gay rumors after the 1993 scandal but he was in fact as ridiculed as ever. Nobody bought the marriage which ended in January 1996. Lisa Marie Presley was paid her royalties for the YARNA video, in which they appeared half naked based on Gallin’s idea, and whatever else they agreed. Both Lisa Marie Presley and Sandy Gallin dissed him later out of bitterness and vengeance. Lisa Marie Presley, whose romantic ideations for Jackson were unrequited, because he rejected her and Sandy Gallin because he fired him in 1997. Meanwhile, he spent crazy money on Diana Ross, the love of his life.fake marriage certificateJackson met Rowe through dr Arnold Klein, who diagnosed Jackson with discoid lupus and vitiligo in 1983, as she was his medical assistant since 1981. David Geffen, who obviously had influence on Jackson, introduced him to dermatologist dr Arnold Klein, aka the King of Botox, who like Geffen, was also openly gay and Jewish, and like Jackson, also liked living lavishly. Klein administered Demerol to Jackson since the early 90’s and again in 2009, under several different aliases, which caused his insomnia and thus his addiction to propofol, of which Jackson died in 2009, at the hands of his 150.000 $ per month debt ridden physician dr Conrad Murray. Another addiction of Jackson’s was plastic surgery, on which he allegedly spent 300.000–500.00 dollars, enabled by greedy and unethical doctors. Jackson started seeing dr Arnold Klein again in 2007 after he returned to the USA. Dr Arnold Klein who was broke at the time convinced him to have botox implants and Jackson spent thousands of dollars on Dr Klein per month, paid by his advances from AEG, who filed for bankruptcy after Michael died. In the 2013 AEG wrongful death trial Debbie Rowe tearfully testified how doctors exploited Jackson’s low tolerance to physical pain and thus triggered his painkiller addiction.Jackson spent millions to make the sprawling ranch he called Neverland his dream home. It was certainly inspired from Disneyland, which Jackson visited frequently.Jackson spent tens of millions in renovations to Neverland. Neverland featured a huge floral clock, a faux victorian railway station, an amusement park ( he bought 10 rides from 1990 to 1997, most of which were custom made and especially desinged for Jackson, a second hand ride cost 650.000$, the ferris wheel he bought in 1990 cost 300.000 dollars )., a menagerie zoo with a massive collection of exotic animals (such as chimpanzees, alligators, llamas, elephants, tigers, reptiles, giraffes, an albino python ), cost 1 million dollar a year to maintain,, a 50 seat theater room ( with adjustable hospital beds for sick and bed ridden kids he often invited to the ranch), a games room, a tennis court, a swimming pool, the main house and a guest house.The interior of the 25 room mansion was full with works of art and memorabilia, and featured 18th century floors that had been shipped to the US from a French chateau. As if the railway, amusement park, movie theater and zoo weren’t enough, there were a host of other amenities on-site at Neverland. This included Teepee Village, a mock Indian campground complete with carpeted teepees with underfloor heating and interior sound systems. A bonfire area could be used for roasting marshmallows and storytelling. Neverland even had its own fire department, complete with a small fleet of working engines and full-time firefighters. Occasionally, the firefighters were dispatched to help contain brush fires on neighboring ranches. Close to the kitchen there was a life-size figure of a butler in a swallowtail coat. The kitchen itself was enormous, housing a large dining table, and looked capable of serving a restaurant rather than a private home.The library contained a huge number of leather-bound books. Once Jackson paid 100.000 dollars cash to buy an entire book store as he was an avid reader!!! Neverland had a staff up to 100–120 people on an annual payroll of 1 million $ . Th e petting zoo, the gardening, utility bills, salaries, maintenance cost of Neverland was a staggering 5 million dollars a year!!!! thus it put a strain on Jackson’s finances.Jackson's private Jacuzzi was located in his bedroom and overlooked the ranch. The floor outside Michael Jackson’s bedroom was wired so that whenever anyone came within five feet of the entrance, dingdong noises would sound. Inside, a movie screen dropped down from the ceiling, and Jackson’s pet rat lived in a cage. The room was connected by a secret staircase to a special guest room, the Shirley Temple Room.Jackson, though a shrewd businessman at first, later in life had no grasp of money and had out of control spending habits. He bought anything he liked regardless how much it cost. Michael Jackson was a shopaholic and a spendaholic. He self indulged to his every whim and he spent millions on the 1939 Oscar for Gone with the Wind (1.5 million $) , a 40.000 $ king size miniature castle he imported from Germany,on paintings that depicted him life-sized, elaborately costumed, in heroic poses with cape, sword, ruffed collar, crown,a fortune teller in the games room, which sat in a separate building at the rear of the house. This contained a huge variety of arcade-style video games, pinball machines, a penny press machine and a photo booth. Candy and ice cream were readily available. All of the games featured slots for quarters, but none of them required actual payment. Everything at Neverland was free to enjoy. Jackson didn’t skimp on details. The games room, for example, featured door knobs shaped like miniature basketballs, baseballs and soccer balls. Jackson imported a king size castle from Germany, a gigantic golden chess, bronze statues of children he installed all over Neverland, hebought the scissors from the Tim Burton film Edward scissorhands ( were auctioned at 5300 $) , mannequin children, as well as other gadgets worth million of dollars. He wouldn’t mind spending 750.000$ on two animatronic figures and an antique clock he had taken a liking to, which led his financial handlers to call for a financial intervention, most of whom were vultures, pariahs, yes people, sycophants. In 2005, Jackson discovered that his manager Dieter Weizner embezzled his money.In other words, he bought whatever he liked. His enviroment were indifferent at best, opportunists, self serving, liars at worst . He did not want to face his financial problems. He was clearly in denial. His spending showed no signs of slowing. His compulsive spending was the main problem, he always made millions annually even if he didn’t work because of his publishing rights. Many of his financial advisors could not even reach him.In addition, further disasters followed - flurries of actions against him from former lawyers, managers and advisers over deals gone sour and unpaid invoices. Most of the time he settled out of court for several thousands of dollars. He spent million of dollars on legal fees.Jackson also owned a stretch Rolls Royce, among other luxurious cars ( SUV, Mercedes, Bentley). Starting 1985, Michael Jackson used to travel the 19-mile (31 kilometers) distance from his Encino home to his Los Angeles studio in his Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL. Later, he gave the car to one of his aunts, for her birthday. Jackson was generous to a fault. In 2000, his ex-wife Debbie Rowe confirmed, in the divorce papers, that Michael had a thing for cars. And he would lavishly spend for them.Therefore, he left behind an impressive car armada made up of a total of 75 vehicles!!! Some of them are:Cadillac Escalade. He said the SUVs felt safe and it was even better as his Escalade had tinted windows to keep him sheltered from the flashes of the paparazzi.A 1999 Rolls Royce Silver Seraph, with a Palais of Versailles-like interior, all crystal and 24-carat gold, was exclusively designed by Michael Jackson himself ( 500.000 $ worth).A 1990 Rolls Royce Silver Spur II Limousine. The limo was trimmed in contrasting black and white leather and also provided with a full-service bar and dark tinted windows.A 1988 Lincoln Town Car Limousine, with a much more tamed interior for which gray leather and fabric trims were used, together with walnut paneling.A 1993 Ford Econoline E150 van. The pop star’s tastes extended from limousines to vans. His Ford came with a video game player, a TV screen located at the front of the passenger seats and high-end leather upholstery.A 1954 Cadillac Fleetwood. This car also starred in the “Driving Miss Daisy” motion picture. Elvis Presley had an older version of the Fleetwood.A 1988 GCM V Jimmy High Sierra Classic. As strange and unfit it may seem for a king, this is a fire truck Michael Jackson purchased just for fun.By 1993, Jackson was already 24–30 million dollars in debt, mostly because of the money he was pouring into Neverland, cancelled video shootings and million dollar shopping sprees. Hence , he sold 50% of his ATV catalogue to Sony in 1995 for 115 million $. His ATV catalog, purchased in 1985 for 47.5 million dollars and 50% of it sold to Sony in 1995 ( 5% of it given to Branca in 1993) , was his financial lifeline and used it as collateral for multi million dollar loans. His Estate, run by John Branca and John MacClain, sold it to Sony for 750 million $ in 2016.Jackson only gave two sold out concerts in MSG in New York in September 2001, when he celebrated his 30th anniversary as a solo artist. He performed heavily sedated. In 2002, Jackson had a new baby, Blanket, via an anonymous surrogate, who was allegedly paid 25000 $ and whom he lavished with expensive gifts. He took his children’s with Debbie Rowe full custody upon their divorce in 1999, she gladly relinquished her parental rights in 2001 but in 2006 Rowe took Jackson to court to have that decision reversed. Jackson was ordered to make her the payments she was owed 50.000 $ on living expenses and paid her 195.000 $legal fees. She was also given visitation rights. Allegedly, Debbie Rowe, who defended Jackson in 2005, though a witness for the Prosecution, sued Jackson, not for the children, but to get his attention, as she had a crush on him, which Lisa Marie Presley admitted herself.Previously, he gave two charity concerts in Seoul and in Munich in 1999, Michael and Friends. During the Munich concert he got badly injured, which triggered a vicious circle of painkiller addiction. In 1993, Jackson cut short his Dangerous Tour to go to rehab, as he developed an addiction to painkillers and sedatives, with which he was first acquainted in 1984, when his scalp got badly burned during a pepsi commercial. In 1991, Jackson made 31 million dollars on the Dangerous album, which was faster selling than both Thriller and Bad and has sold so far 40 million albums. The cancellation of the remainder of the Dangerous tour was however a huge financial loss. Thus, by 1993 he was 24 million dollars in debt.In August 1993 he faced molestation allegations from Evan Chandler, whose son Jordan Jackson met and befriended in 1992, when his car broke down in Wilshire Boulevard and Jordan’s step father David Schwartz, who ran a car rental agency Rent-a-Wreck, came to his rescue and instead of charging Jackson for his services Schwartz asked him to call his step son Jordy, which sadly he did.Jackson traveled around the world with Jordan’s mother June Chandler Schwartz, a stunning Asian former model, and her two kids, Lilly and Jordan,and gave her expensive jewellery like a Cartier love bracelet.Evan Chandler, Jordan’s father, was a dentist by trade but also an aspiring screenwriter who blackmailed Jackson for money using his 13 year old son Jordan, when Jackson refused to finance his screenplays. Chandler suffered from bipolar disorder, he killed himself in 2009 and nobody attended his funeral , sued Jackson for 30 million dollars in 1993 , who settled the civil lawsuit out of court as the judge violated his rights for a fair criminal trial by not deferring the civil trial and not allowing the criminal trial to go first.It is a myth he paid the settlement ( about 20 million dollars ) by himself . His insurance company Lloyds of London negotiated the terms of the civil settlement and paid for it , in spite of Jackson’s protests, who did not want to settle. Had a civil trial occurred the legal fees would have been twice as much and it could take up to 7 years and would have been paid by Lloyds of London. Hence, his insurance carrier, pressured him to settle, which he later regretted. However, the highly publicized allegations tarnished his image. In 1994, Blanca Francia, a former Neverland employee also accused him of molesting her son Jason because she too wanted to secure an easy payday like the Chandlers did. This time, Jackson did pay her 2.4 million dollars ( chump change for Jackson) and this settlement was also signed that it was by no means an admission of guilt or wrongdoing on his behalf. Blanca Francia sold the story to Hard Copy for 20.000 dollars, she never went to the authorities and she was not found credible by the jury when she testified in 2005. How could the jury believe a woman who gave a sworn deposition she never witnessed any wrongdoing, was refuted by Mac Culkin and Wade Robson, by her own admission profiteered from the allegations, only alleged impropriety that took place in 1990 in 1994, after the Chandler scandal, which she never however reported to the Police and her own son Jason, whom Jackson allegedly molested, told the Police in 1993 he was not inappropriately touched? The Francias, the Chandlers and the Arvizos were all money hungry leeches. Among many in Michael Jackson’s life. His own family members included.Why did Jackson pay this money hungry leech Francia who remembered in 1994 her son was molested in 1990 , when word got out the Chandlers got millions by accusing Jackson of molestation? Because he wanted to finish and promote his HIStory album, on which Sony spent 30 million dollars merely for the promotion. He had a bigger fish to fry, in other words. HIStory album sold 20 million copies in spite of the negative publicity and became the biggest selling double disc ever. In addition, had he not settled and gone to court the legal fees would have by far exceeded the cost of the 2.4 million $ he paid Francia. Obviously, he didn’t buy her silence since she gave a paid interview to tabloid tv anchor Diane Dimond for 20000 $, whom Jackson sued for libel and defamation for 100 million dollars. That was a common problem for Jackson with his Neverland employees, who in addition to selling fabricated, salacious stories to the tabloids for money also stole him money and valuable art work, thus Jackson fired them and sued them.Kassim Abdool, Ralph Chacon, Adrian McManus, Sandy Domz and Melanie Bagnall sued Jackson in the 90s alleging wrongful termination. Three of these five people – Abdool, Chacon and McManus – testified for the prosecution at the Jackson’s 2005 trial in support of their “prior bad acts” case. None of these people ever reported or even mentioned what they had allegedly seen at the time that the alleged molestations and improprieties supposedly occurred. These stories first surfaced in the spring of 1994, more than half a year after the Chandler scandal went public. At that civil trial the Neverland 5 and their attorney were sanctioned $66,000 for lying during their depositions and on the stand and for discovery violations (ie. for hiding evidence from Jackson’s lawyers). Judge Zel Canter, who presided over the civil trial, left the bench after stating he was disgusted . The jury rejected the wrongful termination lawsuit against Jackson and ordered the Neverland 5 to pay him damages. The court also imposed attorneys fees and costs of $1.4 million against plaintiffs. Tom Sneddon, a corrupt D.A. who was after Jackson since 1993, helped Dimond get out of the lawsuit and thus Dimond became his closest ally. Dimond’s best source on slandering Jackson was Victor Guituirrez, the Chilean journalist, a pedophile and public advocate for NAMBLA, who was ordered to pay Jackson 2.7 million dollars when he won a slander suit in 1998. Guituirrez filed for bankruptcy, left the USA and never paid Jackson.By early 2000, Jackson’s biggest expenses were no longer private jets and flash cars, but the interest on his enormous borrowings. According to one ‘executive involved in his affairs’, Jackson was making monthly payments of about $4.5 million in 2005 on a debt of $270million. That works out at an annual interest rate of about 20 per cent.By 2005, when Jackson’s financial problems became public during his 2005 trial, he made ridiculous payments on loan interests, at least 4.5 million dollars on loan interests monthly !!! By 2008, he owed 400 million dollars. In July 2008, Julien ‘s auction house organised a sale with his memorabilia in Neverland ranch, on Jackson’s request who desperately needed cash. Nearly 1400 items were selected from his elaborate, over the top belongings, from Jackson’s tour bus to a painting of Michael with Bubbles the chimp, one of his famous handmade gloves covered in Swarovsky crystals even the front gates of Neverland. Michael Jackson , needless to say, did not reveal the reason of his memorabilia sale was his financial problems. By 2007, he defaulted on his 24 million $ loan on Neverland , which was thus facing foreclosure.He clarified that he didn’t want 3 of his Rolls Royces sold , because he wanted to give them to his kids when they got married. However, he stopped the auction the last minute!!! The sale, which would have generated thousands of dollars, was called off and once again Jackson settled out of court with Julien’s House. Instead of making money, he lost money!!!From 2007 and until he died a 27,259-square-foot estate was a sanctuary for Jackson and his three children . Nicknamed the ‘Thriller Villa,’ the home features seven bedrooms, 12 full baths, and a 2,983-square-foot guest house. The king of Pop did not own that house, he rented it for several thousands dollars. He did however want to buy a house in Las Vegas, where he resorted upon his return from Ireland. Neverland still bled money but Jackson would not sell it. In January 2006, Jackson was fined with 169.000 for failing to pay his employees salaries’ and insurance for 2 months, most of whom were laid off soon after. Neverland stood abandoned. His bodyguards were also unpaid for months, though they never blamed him. They said he was mismanaged. Indeed, it was Raymone Bain’s, Jackson’s publicist’s, fault. His credit cards were declined and thus they were evicted from hotels!!!One of the most striking features of the estate is its two-story Medieval-style chapel, with 74 seats and a hand-painted ceiling. Other highlights included an opulent salon with a huge stone fireplace and a Murano glass chandelier, a bell tower, and a large outdoor courtyard for entertaining. The large basement also featured a secret passageway that Jackson used to reach his car without being spotted by the paparazzi.Before he died he rented a 100.000 $ per month mansion at Holmby Hills in Los Angeles, where he took his last breath, paid for by his advance from AEG. His physician dr Conrad Murray and later convicted killer was also paid 150.000$ to knock out Jackson , a chronic insomniac, to sleep. As he missed rehearsals from his This is it Comeback tour , due to his deteriorating health ( he was legally blind, suffered from osteoarthritis, his lungs were collapsing, had Demerol withdrawal symptoms) Randy Philips, the AEG CEO, who was fired shortly after the 2013 wrongful death trial, visited Jackson late at night at his home, reminding him who paid for his house rent, threatening to pull the plug, after which Jackson cried, as his son Prince testified in the 2013 trial.Jackson’s death on 25/06/2009 cleared his finances. He was the best selling artist the year of his death ( he sold 9 million albums, twice what Taylor Swift sold). His debts have all been paid off and his Estate is now worth over 1 billion dollars. His unimaginable wealth is again a magnet for further opportunistic vultures like Wade Robson and James Safechuck who alleged in 2012 they were molested by Jackson and thus sued his Estate for money even though they previously denied several times any wrongdoing on his behalf. Wade Robson testified under oath as an adult twice in Jackson’s defense, once in front of a jury, and in 1993. Their lawsuits were thrown out of court. Brett Barnes, whom they bullied to back up their bogus story, posted this on Twitter.In other words, Barnes called Robson and Safechuck ( whose lawyers dropped him as he was lying and there was no way winning the case ) greedy and liars. Indeed, by Robson’s mother’s admission Robson had financial problems when he made those allegations and Safechuck was also from a poor family ( his father was a garbage collector).Before you judge Michael Jackson please bear in mind that he was a great humanitarian, he gave a lot of money to charity, he left 20% of his Estate to various charities and even on his death bed he talked about building a hospital for children. He was completely innocent of anything they ever accused him of , which is proven by medical evidence, judicial documents and court testimonies. Hundreds of children visited Neverland over the years, only 3–4 made such accusations, coerced by their proven mentally ill parents, motivated only by greed.Michael Jackson was surrounded by leeches all his life, he was non stop ridiculed by the media, he went through an unnecessary trial in 2005, hence he was cleared on all counts, he is the most heavily and unfairly attacked celebrity ever, and mostly the same people , who now successfully run his Estate, based on a void will, allegedly signed on 7 July 2002 in Los Angeles, deliberately ill advised him into a complex web of debt when he was alive. Michael Jackson sells more tickets dead than most artists do alive. He is the biggest selling artist on i tunes, he has sold approximately 50 million albums since he passed away, he was the breadwinner for his family since he was 6 years old. Please bear in mind that John Branca worked for Sony behind Michael’s back, he still does and he sold to Sony the atv catalog for 750 m$ in 2016 even though the Estate was more than solvent. Sony would not have bought it for 750 m$ had it not been worth 3–4 times as much. Had Michael Jackson not died in July 2009 he would have been free of Sony in July 2009.RIP Michael Jackson.sources:Michael Jackson Died Deeply In DebtMichael Jackson’s 10 most extravagant purchasesThe Prosecution’s Witnesses – Ralph Chacon, Kassim Abdool and Adrian McManusDan Glaister on Michael Jackson's divorceThis is What Became of Michael Jackson's Private Neverland Theme ParkMichael Jackson - the man who blew a billion. The mind-boggling spending of the world's wackiest pop star