The Children’s Amendment to the amalgam reduction requirement of the Minamata Convention enters into force today, 24 June 2022!
 
At the 4^th Conference of the Parties in Indonesia last March, our powerhouse coalition, the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, succeeded in gaining protection from dental amalgam for the most vulnerable consumers.  We won the Children’s Amendment, which requires that Parties “Exclude or not allow, by taking measures as appropriate, or recommend against the use of dental amalgam for the dental treatment of deciduous teeth, of patients under 15 years and of pregnant and breastfeeding women…”

Reflecting a remarkable shift in global opinion, the nations of the world have amended the Minamata Convention on Mercury to call for ending amalgam use in children and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.  On 25 March 2022, the Parties to the Minamata Convention (that is, the national governments) decided unanimously to amend this international treaty to…

“….Exclude or not allow, by taking measures as appropriate, or recommend against the use of dental amalgam for the dental treatment of deciduous teeth [baby teeth], of patients under 15 years and of pregnant and breastfeeding women….“

As the first part of the fourth Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP4) is held online Nov. 1-5, the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry welcomes the growing momentum to phase out the use of dental amalgam. The Minamata Convention requires Parties to phase down the use of dental amalgam, a filling material that is 50% mercury. The next step is to prepare for the global phase-out, and there is movement to phase out this toxic and polluting product at the second in-person part of COP4 in Bali on March 21-25, 2022.

Amalgam was center stage at last month’s 3rd conference of the parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury – from beginning to end.

On opening day, the environment minister of Indonesia dramatically announced that its president would sign an order in 2020 ending amalgam use totally. Not to be outmatched, the European Union explained a process it will undertake next year that could result in a recommendation to phase out amalgam. Then the entire African region asked for a worldwide deadline for amalgam use.

Our team was honored to assist government delegations – even as the negotiations stretched into the night…and didn’t end until 5:00 am in the morning. A consensus was finally reached on the last day when the parties decided…

Our success at the Minamata Convention treaty talks resulted in a requirement that countries must reduce their amalgam use – plus a mechanism for amending the treaty. Now we step up to the next stage. On the table is a proposed amendment to phase OUT amalgam use!

We built the worldwide team, and now we mobilize it into action to support the proposed amendment.  Continue reading →