DENTAL MERCURY BAN
  (See LEGISLATIVE TEXT for Model Dental Legislation)

TALKING POINTS:

▪ First Exposure -- Mercury from a pregnant woman’s amalgam dental fillings can cause birth defects & reproductive harm by passing through her blood into the placenta damaging the brain and tissues of the developing child.

▪ Second Exposure  -- Mercury in the teeth of a nursing woman’s body passes into her breast milk. 

 ▪ Mercury  in amalgam dental fillings can cause miscarriage, infertility and neurological disorders in the child including autism.

Mercury Amalgam Bills and Petitions

▪ Alabama, House Bill would have prevented dentists from giving pregnant women and children mercury fillings. 2004 (to be reintroduced)

▪ Arizona,  Sponsored by Reps. Karen Johnson and Hershberger, S.B.1146  “Ban Mercury Fillings” requires informed consent for mercury fillings for children, pregnant women and nursing mothers. (will reintroduce)

▪ California, 2003 The CA Dental Board prepared a Consumer Fact Sheet notifying parents and pregnant women of the risks of amalgam to the brains of children and the fetus.

▪ AB99, sponsored by Rep. Jerome Horton ended Medi-Cal’s requirement for mercury fillings. Sept., 2003      San Francisco Commission on the Environment mandates amalgam separators.

▪ Connecticut, Zero Mercury State, Consumers for Dental Choice petitioned for inclusion of amalgams. 2004

▪ Iowa, Attorney General declares Dental Board’s Gag Act on dentists unconstitutional. 2002

▪ Maine, Govenor signs bill requiring amalgam separators in all dental offices (2003) and patient disclosure brochures and posters in all offices.

▪ Minnesota, Petitioned dental board to end the Gag Act, condemned by the attorney general,2004.

▪Missouri,  HB 852 sponsored by Rep. Roy Holand, M.D., to ban mercury in fillings and vaccines. 1/04.

▪New Hamphire, HB 1251sponsored by Rep. Lynde, requires informed consent and safe disposal of amalgam.

▪New York, Govenor signs bill requiring pre-encapsulated amalgams and mercury recycled.

▪Ohio, LSC 124 restricting amalgams for those  18 and under and women of childbearing age and requiring informed consent.

▪ Oregon, Bill for informed consent and limitations.   Gag Rule abolished. 2002.

                                               Mission & History
    
Consumers for Dental Choice (CDC) was established in 1996 by consumer advocates, mercury poisoning victims, scientists and mercury-free dentists as non profit organization. CDC promotes access to mercury-free dentistry seeking to protect the rights of dentists who chose not to use toxic materials,  to support national and state legislation for patient informed consent prior to placement of mercury amalgams with an emphasis on protecting children, women of childbearing age and nursing mothers.  HEALTH INSURANCE coverage for MERCURY FREE dental fillings, (especially for the underserved), INFORMED CONSENT and CHOICE are primary goals.
 
We support environmental reduction of mercury from all sources, particularly from dental offices, endorsing the requirement of amalgam separators in all dental offices and clinics.
   
Targeted litigation has been filed in a number of states to challenge the deceptive practices of the American Dental Association (ADA) which continues to perpetuate the fraud that mercury amalgams are "silver fillings" when the primary component is mercury (50%).
   
Our ultimate goal: Abolishment of Amalgam Fillings!

CONSUMERS FOR DENTAL CHOICE
1725 K Street, N.W., Suite 511    
Washington, DC  20006
    
WWW.TOXICTEETH.ORG

 Working to Abolish Mercury in Dentistry

Facts About Mercury
   
▪  Dental amalgams (silver fillings) contain: Approximately 50% metallic mercury, a known neuro-toxin and possible human carcinogen.

▪  World Health Organization’s 1991 report indicated that amalgam is the number one source of mercury body burden.   (WHO Criteria  #118, p 36, 1991).

▪ Mercury from amalgam, in the form of vapor is absorbed at an average estimated rate of from 3.8 to 21 micrograms per day.
 
▪ A large amalgam filling can release as much as 15 ug mercury/day.  0.2ug metallic mercury vapor has been identified as safe exposure.  (U.N. International Program on Chemical Safety)   

▪ One in ten women of childbearing age (about 5 million) has enough mercury in her body to cause neurological damage to her offspring =  390,000 children born each year.

▪ Women of childbearing age have body  burdens of mercury that are transferable to the fetus and may be toxic to neuro-development.

▪ 630,000 babies are born each year with excessive mercury exposure. (EPA report).

▪ All forms of mercury are highly toxic and fetuses are especially susceptible to the  damage mercury can cause, particularly the  developing brain and nervous system.

▪ The number of fillings a mother has is proportional to the quantities of inorganic mercury in the placenta, umbilical-cord, breast milk and  amniotic fluid. 

▪ Female dentists and female dental personnel exposed to metallic mercury vapors have increased reproductive failures (spontaneous abortions), stillbirth and congenital malformations and children with learning disabilities and birth defects.

References:
1. Excerpts: Discussion Paper on Dental Amalgam by Cindy Bethell, legislative assistant to Sen.Frank Lautenberg.
2. ATSDR, Mercury Toxicological Profile, 1999
3. Research by Bernie Windham, chemist www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/dental.html
Available: Additional references within body of text.
 

►  Support HB 1680

Introduced by:  Congresswoman Diane Watson & Congressman Dan Burton

The Mercury in Dental Filling Disclosure and Prohibition Act of 2003:

 ▪Prohibits the introduction into interstate commerce of mercury intended for use in dental fillings.

 ▪Full disclosure of Mercury in dental fillings

 ▪Insurance coverage for mercury free dentistry

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ADDITIONAL TALKING POINTS:

Frank Jerome, DDS, book "Tooth Truth" Excerpts:

Biocompatability (compatible with life) - you have the right to know about the biocompatability of the treatments you are getting.  This right is informed consent.  p.73

The definition of amalgam is a "metal alloy of mercury." This term in not really accurate because mercury fillings are not true alloys of mercury. The mercury does not combine molecularly with the other metals (tin, zinc, and silver). Since much of the mercury in fillings is "free-mercury," not bound to any other metal, it can vaporize, leave the filling, and enter the body.  This can happen any time, but much more is released during and after chewing. The mercury escapes as mercury vapor, which is then inhaled. Almost 100 percent of the inhaled mercury vapor is absorbed instantly through the lungs or nasal passages. Ther mercury absorbed in the nasal passages can enter the brain directly. The mercury absorbed through the lungs goes into the blood, which goes directly to the heart, and from there is sent throughout the body. pp.97-8

It is noteworthy that any mercury filling material left after a tooth is filled is considered toxic waste and must be disposed of, according to guidelines established by the EPA.  It is also noteworthy that putting mercury filling material into a landfill is against the law. If it can poison a landfill, how can it be safe in your mouth? pp.98-9

Over 20 years ago the ADA admitted, reluctantly, that it knew that mercury is released from mercury fillings.  Up to that point, the organization had officially denied the truth, even though it was known in the scientific community since the 1930's and maybe earlier. The truth had been suppressed for at least 50 years. After the ADA admitted to lying about mercury being released, many dentists thought that mercury would be banned immediately. Instead, the ADA proposed a new lie: "Although mercury does come out of the fillings, the amount is so small that it cannot hurt you." Even with its history of misinformation, dentists accepted this new lie and it is still the "official" ADA line.  p.103

The ADA seems to have tremendous power with the media...Even the TV news magazines program, "60 Minutes," was subjected to tremendous pressure after it brought the message of mercury toxicity to national television in December of 1990. Even though this was one of the show's most popular segments, there was no follow-up or even a rebroadcast during its summer reruns. p.104

Mercury causes birth defects. Mercury attacks the nervous system. The damage of Alzheimer's disease could also be caused or aggravated by mercury. Other Health Problems: mental depression, kidney problems (kidneys must eliminate the mercury from the body), heart disease, memory problems, loss of feeling in hands and feet, etc. pp. 106-7

Mercury is a cumulative poison; the longer it is in you, the more damaging it is. p. 108

Mercury in fillings have never been approved by the FDA, which has avoided classifying amalgam at all. The FDA says mercury fillings are a "reaction product" made by dentists, and therefore it is the dentist's responsibility to assure the product's safety. ...The legal reality is that the dentist stands alone. ...There is no defense because the FDA says (the dentist) is ultimately responsible for the materials used... Soon every patient with a mercury poisoning symptom may have an attorney...The ADA is also responsible... Mercury-using dentists form a group which then says, "Mercury cannot harm you." When tobacco companies form groups that promote tobacco use, do you believe their statements about the safety of smoking?.. Dentists cannot rely on the FDA to defend the use of mercury fillings because it has not approved their use. pp. 111-3

With regard to mercury fillings, both the ADA and the FDA...instead of using the terms "toxic" and "poisonous," have said that there are a "few" people who are "allergic" to mercury. Using the milder term "allergy," makes it sound like .. reaction to pollen or cat dander, instead of being taken as the serious threat it is. The figure they use for the number of people has varied. They used two percent for awhile, but found out that any health problem that affects two percent of the population is considered an epidemic. Currently they have settled on one percent, which is still 2.5 Million people! A published study in 1969 in the International Dental Journal put the number at 22.5 percent, which would be 56 Million people! ...Even if (only) one percent of patients were hypersensitive, dentists should be obligated to check to see if their patients may be in that one percent. Do any dentists who use mercury run any type of tests before placing a filling? Not one! The only dentists who use compatibility tests are anti-mercury dentists. p.114

After the ADA was forced to admit in 1980 that mercury did escape from fillings, many dentists expected that it would recommend that no more mercury fillings should be placed. But the ADA did not abandon mercury fillings...The organization also developed a rationale for not changing mercury fillings just to get the mercury out of your teeth by saying that removing fillings might damage the teeth conveniently forgetting that 70 percent or more of all fillings done are replacement fillings.  In the years since the ADA admitted mercury escaped from fillings, there has been enough time that most all the mercury fillings could have been replaced if dentists had used non-mercury materials when they did routine replacement fillings and had quit placing new mercury fillings. Instead, because of their continued support of mercury over a billion more mercury fillings have been placed. p. 123

EPA and OSHA On Mercury
The use of mercury in the dental office is controlled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Their rules cover such items as the allowable exposure levels of mercury vapor in the air, the method of cleanup for spilled mercury, and the disposal of any leftover mercury filling material called "mercury scrap."  This mercury scrap can be from new filling or pieces of old fillings that are not sucked into the sewer line. This scrap must be handled in specified ways to keep mercury from escaping into the air as vapor. It seem that the EPA believes the only safe place to store mercury filling material is in people's teeth. If you have a tooth removed that has a mercury filling in it, according to EPA and OSHA regulations, the dentist cannot give it to you, but must dispose of it in an appropriate way. One minute it is safe in your mouth and the next minute it is a threat to humanity.
pp. 125-6  Nowadays under OSHA regulations, the amount of mercury in a thermometer, if spilled, would require the area to be vacated and special cleanup procedures initiated. p.137

Difficulty in Disposal
After extraction of a tooth, a dentist cannot throw the tooth in the trash until it is sterilized, but if it contains a mercury filling, it cannot be sterilized because the high heat and pressure will cause a release of mercury vapor. Ther mercury filling could be cut out with a drill, but that gives off extra vapor. The problem with what the dentists should do with the scrap mercury is perplexing. It is recommended that the dentist store the scrap mercury in closed container with an X-ray developing chemical, then occasionally sell it to a mercury recycling firm. Unfortunately, in the 1980's a few dentists who sold their scrap to a legitimate recycling firm found themselves subject to $70,000 fines. It seems that the firm had gone bankrupt before the EPA found that they had contaminated the soil around their processing plant. Since the EPA could no longer fine the firm, they sued the dentists. So where does the mercury scrap go? If the mercury coming out of dental offices were traced, it would be found that it is going everywhere. The scrap mercury goes to landfills, to hazardous trash pickup services (which may burn it), down sewer lines, to recyclers, or it may be accumulated until retirement, then buried or just left in the corner of a basement. Perhaps, since the ADA thinks this material is safe, it should be sent to ADA headquarters. Unfortunately, it is too toxic to send through the mail! With all these precautions you would think dentists would be reluctant to put mercury into someone's mouth. It is beyond reason that dentists do not see the inconsistency in using mercury in their patients while protecting themselves from exposure. Luckily, the number of mercury fillings is declining; there were ONLY 100 MILLION done last year (2000). pp.126-7

Microwave Theory
Recently, an interesting theory about the increase in problems caused by mercury has been raised. Due to the tremendous increase in microwave transmissions in the last decade, each of us is constantly being bombarded with microwaves. Generally they pass right through us, but do not pass through metal, including mercury fillings. The mercury, not being firmly bound to the filling, could be caused to come out of the fillings if hit by a microwave. Think what happens if you place a metal object in a microwave oven. It creates sparks and can ruin the unit. Why wouldn't the same thing happen, with less intensity, to a metal filling? Consider this example of the possible effects of microwave energy on mercury fillings: During a TV show about parachuting off a microwave transmission tower, one of the experienced jumpers warned the new person about spending more than six minutes on top of the tower. He said the microwaves were so powerful that your fillings would heat up! Now most of us are not going to be spending any time on top of a 1200-foot microwave tower, but this example suggests that microwaves do have an effect on dental metals including mercury. Maybe this theory merits some research, as we are being exposed to more and more microwave radiation. pp. 136-7

Risk From The Dental Use of Mercury
The concept that mercury fillings have been widely used for over a century may seem to make mercury an unlikely candidate for causing a "new" disease. But in reality, the majority of mercury fillings have been placed since 1940. That time period coincides perfectly with the appearance of Alzheimer's sufferers. A 50-year low-level exposure to mercury fillings allows mercury to slowly build up in the brain. By then the brain cells become so damaged that symptoms appear. The longer people are exposed, the more severe the effect. p. 137

Twenty years ago no one had heard of Alzheimer's disease; now it is a leading cause of death in older Americans, and its incidence seems to be growing. Aluminum has been mentioned as a possible cause of Alzheimer's because it is found in the brain tissue of deceased victims. Recently, mercury has been discovered in the brain tissue of Alzheimer's patients. Mercury loves nerve tissue, and the brain is all nerve tissue. It should come as no surprise that mercury is always found in the brains of Alzheimer's Disease patients. Dr. Boyd Haley, chair of the Chemistry Dept at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, has been testing the connection between Alzheimer's and mercury. The number of fillings corresponds to the amount of mercury found in the brain; the more fillings, the more mercury is found. pp. 141-3

Dr. Gordon Christensen, a popular contributor to the ADA publications, wrote in 1989 in his Clinical Research Associates (CRA) Newsletter, that not only are composites and mercury fillings comparable in their life span, but mercury is by far the more toxic filling material. Overall, he rated the composites higher! Four years later, in the May 1993 Journal of American Dental Association (JADA), Dr. Christensen stated that composites "serve acceptably when compared to amalgam [mercury filling material], but patients need to know about them..."More people than you think have true allergies or sensitivities to metal." pp. 181-2

Insurance companies, because they face the potentially higher costs, are not in favor of changing all mercury fillings to composites. They are looking at it from a monetary point of view, and you must consider it from a health perspective. It may be short-sighted to not see the greater health implications that follow the implanting of the toxic mercury in human bodies. p. 182

Under OSHA guidelines, every product used in a workplace is required to have a Material Safety and Data Sheet (MSDS), which states the various risks, including cancer and birth defects, associated with that product. The form must say what problems may be caused by short-term and long-term exposure. If you would like to see what the MSDS says about mercury, ask your dentist to show you his copy of the MSDS on mercury.  p.188

Mercury is Toxic to Every Living Thing
The ADA speaks of "hypersensitivity" and "allergies" to mercury, but both terms are misleading. Mercury is toxic to every living thing; no level of mercury is considered safe. The levels at which individuals show signs of toxicity vary greatly, but the toxicity always increase with the amount of mercury, length of exposure, and strength of the immune system...At what point will your mercury fillings damage you enough to lower the quality of your life? No one knows, but at some point mercury in the body is bound to exceed everyone's tolerance. Thus the ADA's insistence on describing mercury's damaging effects as "hypersensitivity" or "allergic reactions" is a gross understatement, but even these terms give some indication that mercury is not biocompatible. The ADA never uses the true terms: toxin or poison. Maybe they have not yet noticed the "skull and crossbones" symbol on the packages of mercury. pp. 189-90

This is the shocking story of how the American Dental Association and the California Dental Association have been systematically hiding the truth about mercury toxicity in fillings for decades. 'Silver' fillings aren't just silver. They're 50% mercury, and they're extremely toxic, and every dentist knows it. (www.altcorp.com ) (http://www.amalgam.org) 

In a ludicrous blast of irony, both the ADA and the CDA have inserted into their 'code of ethics' strict commandments forbidding dentists from ever revealing to patients the realities of mercury toxicity. No dentist is allowed to recommend removal of mercury amalgams for health reasons, nor may tell the patient about mercury toxicity even if the patient asks. This gag order has been in place since the beginning of American dentistry.

Exaggeration? Check their websites out:
http://www.amalgam.org/#anchor69176 
http://www.amalgam.org/#anchor69541 

Think dentists put mercury into their own families' teeth? Ask them.

Anyone who is not a dentist is not constrained by the Inquistorial gag order imposed on American dentists by the ADA against telling patients what any perceptive researcher in the field of mercury toxicity already knows -- that no children should ever get mercury amalgam fillings.

AND mercury is being implicated in Alzheimer's (like autism - a disease that didn't exist in 1900). It is also implicated in depression/central nervous system disorders, heart disease, kidney problems and possibly leads to immune problems that ultimately leads to cancer. The toxic load from mercury in most Americans comes from: #1 Dental Mercury. #2 Vaccine Mercury. #3 (distant 3rd) Fish.  #4 Industry.  Each mercury filling outgases approx. 10 mcg of mercury into the human body each week. The average American adult has 10 mercury fillings for approximately 100 mcg. of mercury per week. (not the small amount the ADA says is acceptable).

If you're interested in a DENTAL MERCURY BAN in your state, please contact Atty. Charlie Brown. Removing mercury from the mouth is a necessary step toward Americans having healthier lives!  Charlie is National Counsel for CONSUMERS FOR DENTAL CHOICE in Washington, DC. Their website is: WWW.TOXICTEETH.ORG Phone: 202-822-6307 E-mail: info@toxicteeth.org  And Charles Brown's E-mail: Brownchas@erols.com  Blessings to you and Good Luck!!