Maine Dentists Required to Inform Patients About Amalgam Dangers

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> http://www.mercola.com/2001/sep/8/mercury.htm

>

>

> Maine Dentists Required to Inform Patients

> About Amalgam Dangers

>

> Maine Governor Angus King today signed the most advanced

> bill in the United States requiring dentists to inform their

> patients that amalgam dental fillings contain a large

> percentage of the toxic element mercury, which can be

> harmful to the wearer's health.

>

> In his preliminary remarks before signing the bill, Gov.

> King noted that Maine has probably taken more action to get

> mercury out of the air and water than any other state in the

> union. " And yet we all carry it around in our mouths, " he

> remarked.

>

> Senate President Michaud spearheaded the bill and

> Representatives Joanne Twomey and Stanley, all of

> whom were present, spoke at the signing. Consumer advocates

> Pam and Dr. Tom , a mercury-free dentist

> from Houlton, ME, who led grassroots support for the bill,

> participated in the ceremony as well.

>

> Maine Senate President Michaud cited the courage of the many

> individuals who testified on behalf of the bill, especially

> the dentists who came forward to endorse it despite the

> opposition of the American Dental Association. " We hope that

> the U.S. will take Maine's lead and move forward with

> legislation at the national level, " he said.

>

> The bill mandates that every dentist's office will feature a

> poster and a brochure informing patients about the presence

> of mercury in amalgam fillings and about its negative health

> effects.

>

> Scientific research has shown that dental amalgam is the

> chief source of mercury in the human body. For that reason

> Rep. Twomey described the bill as a major step forward for

> women of childbearing age and for children, who receive

> their first exposure to mercury in the womb and from their

> mother's breast milk.

>

> Mercury has been implicated in neurological disorders of

> children such as autism and ADD/ADHD, and in fertility

> problems in women.

>

> " We are delighted that this bill has been signed, " said Rep.

> Stanley. " It is a major step forward to protect the health

> of Maine citizens. "

>

> Pam added that the group hopes Maine's next step

> would be to ban the use of dental amalgam in all women of

> childbearing age and in children.

>

> " The public is being deceived by the terminology used for

> these fillings, " said Brown in his remarks. " The ADA

> calls them " silver " fillings, but they are really mercury

> fillings. If people knew the principal ingredient is mercury

> they would not want these fillings in their teeth. "

>

> Gov. King compared the current use of mercury in dental

> fillings with the 1950's use in shoe stores of powerful

> x-ray machines called fluoroscopes, which exposed hundreds

> of thousands of adults and children to high doses of toxic

> x-rays.

>

> " Every child who went into the shoe store to buy new shoes

> would put his feet into the fluoroscope so the bones could

> be seen, " King recalled. " People who worked in the store

> were exposed to the radiation all day; children played games

> around the machine.

>

> Now we realize it was a terrible thing to do, but then it

> seemed perfectly normal.

>

> Some day we will wonder how we could ever have put such a

> toxic substance into the human mouth. "

>

> Dental Truth August 30, 2001

>

> International Fluoride Information Network Bulletin #347

> August 31, 2001

>

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> Thanks one again to the Fluoride Action Network for sending

> this important and very encouraging news.

>

> Maine really seems to have one of the most effective

> anti-amalgam groups in the country. I am not sure why this

> is, but my hats off to them. We need more aggressive action

> like this across the country, so the US could actually start

> on a program to restrict the use of this highly toxic

> substance that is slowly eating away at the health of our

> society.

>

> If you have the time you can email, call, or fax Governor

> Angus King and the State Legislators who introduced and

> supported the bill, with some support for what they did.

> They will likely be getting plenty of criticism from the ADA

> and others for this courageous act.

>

> Governor Angus King - Email: governor@...,

> Phone:(207) 287-3531, Fax: (207) 287-6548.

>

> Sen. Michaud - Email: mmichaud@..., Phone:(207)

> 287-1540, Fax: (207) 287-1900.

>

> Rep. Joanne Twomey - Email: jt@..., Phone:(207)

> 287-1400, Fax: (207) 287-1456.

>

> Rep. Stanley - Email: stanleyss@..., Phone:(207)

> 287-1400, Fax:(207) 287-1456.

>

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> COMMENTS from Connett, PhD, Fluoride Action Network:

> For over 100 years the American Dental Association (ADA) has

> stated that mercury amalgams are " safe and effective " and

> that are no studies which indicate any health problems

> associated with having mercury in the mouth.

>

> They were wrong of course, and they probably knew they were

> wrong, but they stonewalled for as long as they could none

> the less.

>

> To state the obvious, now that the authorities in Maine have

> recognized the ADA was so seriously wrong on dental amlgams,

> could they now re-examine that other issue (water

> fluoridation) that the ADA claims is " safe and effective " ?

>

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> Related Articles:

>

> Learn How Mercury Is Affecting You and the Ones You Love

>

> The State Should Ban Mercury Fillings

>

> The ADA Misinformation on Mercury

>

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