Monday, April 19, 2010

Amalgam Use Declines 46% -- We're Half Way There!


Amalgam use declines 46%

We are halfway there!

The Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction

Clearinghouse reports that amalgam use declined 46%

in just a three-year period, 2004-2007 (the last years

for which authoritative data are available). By contrast,

there was virtually no decline (just 1%) in the period

2001-2004. This clearinghouse -- a consortium of states

which require reporting by all the big manufacturers --

suggests amalgam is continuing to decline after 2007

as awareness of amalgam’s mercury grows.

The great news is that millions of individuals are

no longer subjected to mercury fillings.

The bad news is that not everyone is benefiting equally

from this momentous step forward: The pro-mercury

forces are working hard to shove this neurotoxin into

the bodies of children with disabilities, working families,

and uninformed people who do not know that amalgam

is mercury. The Pennsylvania Dental Association has

singled out children with disabilities as meriting mercury

exposure, going so far as to endorse denying all treatment

to these children unless their parents “consent” to amalgam.

The American Dental Association and the World Dental

Federation advocate using mercury on low-income consumers --

even the pregnant women and children who are most vulnerable

to its neurotoxic effects. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration

has decided that non-elite populations are not even worthy of

labeling to inform them that amalgam contains mercury.

As we continue fighting these injustices -- boycotting top

amalgam seller Henry Schein Inc., challenging government

officials, approaching insurance companies that give primacy

to amalgam, preparing for the upcoming mercury treaty

negotiations, etc. -- we can take heart that our efforts so far

have contributed to substantial progress since 2004.

Halfway to our goal of no mercury in dentistry, we are winning!

Charlie Brown
19 April 2010

Charles G. Brown, National Counsel
Consumers for Dental Choice
316 F St., N.E., Suite 210, Washington, DC 20002
Ph. 202.544-6333; fax 202.544-6331
charlie@toxicteeth.org
www.toxicteeth.org
Working for Mercury-Free Dentistry

Copyright (C) 2009 Consumers for Dental Choice All rights reserved.



OC

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