The Council of Europe Calls for "Restricting or Prohibiting the Use of Amalgams"

The Council of Europe calls for “restricting or prohibiting the use of amalgams”

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution on 27 May 2011 urging its 47 member countries to start “restricting or prohibiting the use of amalgams as dental fillings.”

Deputy Jean Huss, Luxembourg’s representative to the Council of Europe (not to be confused with the European Union), drafted the meticulously researched report that explains two major reasons behind this call to action:

1. Amalgam is a health threat: “...amalgams are the prime source of exposure to mercury for developed countries, also affecting embryos, foetuses (through the placenta) and children (through breastfeeding). Exposure to mercury can seriously affect the health of patients and dental professionals…”
   
2. Amalgam is an environmental threat: “...between 60 and 90 tonnes of mercury from dental surgeries are released into and contaminate Europe’s atmosphere, surface waters and soil every year.”

The Council of Europe’s ground-breaking resolution will have a favorable impact on the ongoing mercury treaty negotiations. With this resolution, the Council of Europe joins the growing international call for the amalgam phase-out that is already endorsed by the African region, the Arab League, and the United States government. (The Council of Europe's report observed that the U.S. position itself is “likely to change the global debate on amalgams.”)

Thank you to Marie Grosman, who testified before Monsieur Huss and the Council of Europe Sub-Committee on Health in preparation for this report and the resulting resolution. Marie is the life science lecturer who leads the mercury-free dentistry movement in France along with the group Non Au Mercure Dentaire. She also serves as Vice President for Europe, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, the coalition that represents our cause on the international front.

Charlie

Charles G. Brown
National Counsel, Consumers for Dental Choice
President, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry
1 July 2011