After we launched the Chicago Declaration to End Dental Industry Mercury Use at the University of Illinois School of Public Health 18 months ago, some of the signatories obtained meetings with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at high levels, persuading the agency to re-open the amalgam issue. On November 13-14, an FDA scientific advisory committee met to discuss metal implants and specifically dental amalgam. Continue reading
Americas
48,000+ signatures on petition urging FDA to ban mercury fillings for children
With the European Union banning amalgam for children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers, U.S. World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry affiliate Consumers for Dental Choice now spearheads the campaign to get the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) bureaucracy to catch up! They kicked it off with a petition calling for FDA to ban mercury fillings in these vulnerable populations like the European Union did.
To the 48,000+ folks who already signed – thank you! If you haven’t signed yet, please take 30 seconds to sign by clicking here. Continue reading
50 U.S. groups issue Chicago Declaration to End Dental Industry Mercury Use
A coalition of 50 environmental, public health, and children’s rights groups called for an end to dental amalgam in American children, and for a two-year general phase-out of its use in the United States. Supporters include many major national nonprofit groups, including Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Health Care Without Harm, Clean Water Action, Consumers for Dental Choice, and Learning Disabilities Association of America.
The paper, known as the Chicago Declaration to End Dental Industry Mercury Use, was unveiled at a news conference held at the University of Illinois at Chicago and chaired by Charlie Brown, president of the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry. Brown noted, “Starting July 1, the European Union bans amalgam for children under 15; the U.S. needs to act too.”
Will the U.S. FDA ban amalgam in children?
In the dental amalgam arena, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – which is charged with regulating amalgam – prefers to sit and watch from the sidelines: Continue reading
New study finds fillings related to higher mercury levels in blood
A new study out of the University of Georgia shows that if you have more than eight “dental surface restorations”, they can raise the level of mercury in your blood. (Note that each filling can have more than one surface. So even if you have fewer than eight fillings, this study still applies to you!)
While the study did not examine the adverse health implications, it did note that “a significant correlation between the blood level of mercury and dental restoration raises major concerns about potential mercury exposure.” Mercury is well-known to harm the central nervous system and kidneys. And it accumulates in your body from many different sources – so people who are exposed to mercury in their workplaces and in their diet (like if you eat a lot of some types of seafood) are even more at risk. Continue reading
World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry 