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 →

In Hartford, Connecticut (USA) on June 23, environmental justice activists, health professionals, and patient advocates gathered on the steps of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to protest the state’s failure to stop pro-mercury dentists from willfully violating the law.

Connecticut law requires that “the brochure Fillings: The Choices You Have, Mercury Amalgam and Other Filling Materials shall be displayed and remain prominently displayed in each office.” It alerts every patient and parent that amalgam is mainly mercury, that mercury is a toxin, and that patients can choose mercury-free fillings.  The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is charged with enforcing this law. Continue reading →

The International Indian Treaty Council and Consumers for Dental Choice filed a petition calling on the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (who runs the Indian Health Service) to end the use of amalgam – a dental filling that is 50% mercury – in Indian Health Service Clinics and on Tribal lands.

“Mercury from dental amalgam and other sources has a profound effect upon traditional Native lifestyles, which value fish as an integral part of tribal culture,” says Andrea Carmen, Executive Director, International Indian Treaty Council. Continue reading →

Sixty environmental groups from the United States and around the world sent a letter urging Secretary of State John Kerry to bring the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) into line with the U.S.’s commitment to reduce dental amalgam use.

As the groups explain, the 2009 FDA dental amalgam rule claims “any change away from use of dental amalgam is likely to result in negative public health outcomes.”  This rule not only impedes mercury reduction… it is contrary to the U.S.’s position during negotiations for the Minamata Convention on Mercury: Continue reading →