Oppose FDA/Amalgam decision

September 3, 2006

Friends

Are any of our national organizations planning on teaming with the groups that

oppose this 'consensus " ?; The presentation on this is Wednesday

see below; Rep Diane ,

CA, will be presenting; she introduced legislation to ban mercury in

dental procedures by 2008. She is going up against some heavy

adversaries; sadly, the National MS and Alzheimers Society will testify

there is no known science/ research to conenct MS and Alzheimers to dental amalgams.

We know this is untrue. Will any of you be able to do anything, to show

opposition at this meeting? Can you recommend any action? We

may all try to call

's office and ask them this

question.

It feels as if we are taking one step ahead, but two back. Please assist

with advice, thoughts, and suggestions. Suzanne Messina

REAACH

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Silver fillings not harmful, finds U.S. study

Updated Sat. Sep. 2

2006 3:16 PM ET

Associated Press

WASHINGTON --

Silver fillings used to patch cavities aren't dangerous even though they

expose dental patients to the toxic metal mercury, federal health researchers

said Friday.

The

Food and Drug Administration reviewed 34 recent research studies and found

" no significant new information " that would change its

determination that mercury-based fillings don't harm patients, except in rare

cases where they have allergic reactions.

The

FDA released a draft of its review ahead of a two-day meeting next week to

discuss the safety of mercury used in dentistry.

Consumer

groups opposed to its use disputed the FDA's conclusions. The groups plan to

petition the agency for an immediate ban on use of the cavity-filler in

pregnant women.

" The

science is over. There is no safe level of exposure, " said

Brown, a lawyer for one of the groups, Consumers for Dental Choice. " The

only thing standing between this and a ban is politics. They are still

pretending it is a scientific question, but it isn't. "

Amalgam

fillings, also called silver fillings, by weight are about 50 percent

mercury, joined with silver, copper and tin. Dentists have used amalgam to

fill cavities since the 1800s. Today, tens of millions of Americans receive

mercury fillings each year. Amalgam use has begun to decline, however, with

many doctors switching to resin composite fillings, considered more appealing

since they blend better with the natural coloring of teeth.

With

amalgam fillings, mercury vapor is released through tooth-brushing and

chewing. In general, significant levels of mercury exposure can permanently

damage the brain and kidneys. Fetuses and children are especially sensitive

to its harmful effects.

Scientists

have found that mercury levels in the blood, urine and body tissues rise the

more mercury fillings a person has. However, even among people with numerous

fillings, exposure levels are well below those known to be harmful, the

report said.

" If

substantial scientific evidence showed that dental amalgam posed a threat to

the health of dental patients, we would advise dentists to stop using it. But

the best and latest available scientific evidence indicates that dental

amalgam is safe, " Dr. Zentz, senior director of the American

Dental Association's council on scientific affairs, said in prepared remarks

to be delivered Wednesday to the joint meeting of FDA experts on dental

products and neurology.

Among

those expected to address the joint panel is Rep. Diane (news, bio,

voting record), D-Calif., who has introduced legislation that would

effectively ban the use of mercury in dental fillings by 2008. will

press the FDA for a ban and call on the agency to study the environmental

impact of dental mercury, spokesman Bert Hammond said.

Also

on the legislative front, Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and other Senate colleagues

have asked President Bush's nominee to head the FDA about the safety of

mercury fillings. An Enzi spokesman said the lawmaker has yet to receive Dr.

von Eschenbach's answers to those questions.

Meanwhile,

representatives of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Alzheimer's

Association are expected to testify that there is no known scientific

evidence to connect mercury fillings and the two diseases that are the focus

of their respective groups. And Swedish and Canadian experts are to discuss

how their countries regulate amalgam fillings.

The

meeting likely won't be the last word in the drawn-out fight over mercury

fillings. As early as the 1840s, dentists were squabbling over whether gold

or mercury-silver fillings were better -- a feud that led to the disbanding

of the first national dental society in the United States, according to a

March article in the Journal of the California Dental Association.

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