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
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