U.S. Government Calls for the Phase-out of Dental Mercury Amalgam...

[Guest guest]

U.S. Government Calls for the Phase-out of Dental Mercury Amalgam...

_http://www.bolenreport.com/feature_articles/Guest/CharlieBrown/phaseout.htm

_

(http://www.bolenreport.com/feature_articles/Guest/CharlieBrown/phaseout.htm)

Guest Article by G. Brown, National Counsel

Consumers for Dental Choice

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

In an extraordinary development that will change the global debate about

amalgam, the United States government has announced that it supports a

**phase down, with the goal of eventual phase out by all Parties, of mercury

amalgam.** This statement – a radical reversal of its former position that

**any change toward the use of dental amalgam is likely to result in positive

public health outcomes** – is part of the U.S. government’s submission

for the upcoming third round of negotiations for the world mercury treaty.*

While couched in diplomatic hedging – remember it is still early in the

negotiations – this new U.S. position makes three significant breakthroughs

for the mercury-free dentistry movement:

1. The U.S. calls for the phase-out of amalgam ultimately and recommends

actions to **phase down** its use immediately. Incredibly, the government

adopted three actions that the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry and

Consumers for Dental Choice proposed at the negotiating session in Chiba,

Japan. Our key ally, The Mercury Policy Project, laid the groundwork for

this success at a World Health Organization meeting in 2009!

2. The U.S. speaks up for protecting children and the unborn from amalgam,

recommending that the nations **educat[e] patients and parents in order to

protect children and fetuses.**

3. The U.S. stands up for the human right of every patient and parent to

make educated decisions about amalgam.

What does this mean? Our position – advocating the phase-out of amalgam –

is now the mainstream because the U.S. government supports it. Who is

the outlier now? It’s the pro-mercury faction, represented by the World

Dental Federation and the American Dental Association. With the U.S.

continuing its leadership role in this treaty, we will broadcast the U.S.

position

to other governments around the world, encouraging them to support amalgam

**phase downs** leading to phase-outs not only globally, but within each of

their countries.

We applaud the U.S. government. But tough work lies ahead. For example,

we must demonstrate to the world that the available alternatives – such as

composites and the adhesive materials used in atraumatic restorative

treatment (**ART**) – can cost less than amalgam and will increase access to

dental care particularly in developing countries.

For now though, let’s mark this watershed in the mercury-free dentistry

movement: the debate has shifted from “whether to end amalgam†to “how to

end

amalgam.â€

-- Charlie

G. Brown

National Counsel, Consumers for Dental Choice

President, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry

5 April 2011

* The full text of the U.S. submission is available at

_http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Portals/9/Mercury/Documents/INC3/United\

%20States.pdf_

(http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Portals/9/Mercury/Documents/INC3/Unit

ed%20States.pdf)

Here is the excerpt on amalgam:

**We are aware that several delegations at INC-2 suggested mercury amalgam

should not be included in Annex C, noting a number of difficulties and

complexities related to this issue. The United States supports further

consideration of dental amalgam by the INC such that the agreement is able to

achieve the phase down, with the goal of eventual phase out by all Parties, of

mercury amalgam upon the development and availability of affordable, viable

alternatives. To the extent that Annex C is not structured to accomplish

such a goal, the United States believes that a number of obligations could be

considered within an appropriate operative paragraph of the agreement

itself. Such a paragraph could commit Parties to phase down the use of mercury

amalgam or address mercury releases through conducting and promoting

further research on alternatives, mandating the use of separators in dental

offices, promoting and incentivizing prevention strategies, educating patients

and parents in order to protect children and fetuses, and training of dental

professionals on the environmental impacts of mercury in dental amalgams,

and to report on their progress in doing so to inform the Conference of the

Parties on the progress being made to phase down amalgam use.**

Consumers for Dental Choice

316 F St., N.E.

Suite 210

Washington, DC 20002