The European Union government asked the general public to comment on how to fulfill the EU’s obligations under the Minamata Convention. The European Commission launched an online public consultation that asked EU citizens: Should we phase down amalgam use…or should we phase out amalgam use? Now the results are in!  And the people of the European Union voted to….phase out amalgam use!

This was no close vote.  In fact, 88% of respondents voted to phase out amalgam. (That’s 3162 out of 3586 voters, which is a lot of participation for a public consultation in the EU!)  Of all the amalgam phase down measures listed in the Minamata Convention, promoting the use of mercury-free alternatives received the most support.  Merely restricting amalgam to its encapsulated form received the least public support.