Dental News - Society pays for dental mercury through additional costs, report suggests

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 30 April 2012

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WASHINGTON, D.C., Wash., USA: New research could revitalize the discussion about the use of amalgam fillings. According to a new study released by a broad coalition of health, consumer and environmental groups, dental mercury fillings pollute the environment, contaminate fish and are far more costly for taxpayers than alternative tooth-colored materials. The groups have called for the phasing out of amalgam in the USA, following the lead of other countries.

The groups include Clean Water Action, Consumers for Dental Choice, the Mercury Policy Project, the International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology and the European Environmental Bureau's Zero Mercury Campaign.

The study was conducted by Brussels-based Concorde East/West, an international consulting firm that conducts research for the U.N. and the Environmental Protection Agency, among others. The study suggests that society pays for dental mercury through additional pollution-control costs, the deterioration of public resources, and the health effects associated with mercury contamination.

"The report's findings confirm that amalgam is not the least expensive when the so-called 'external costs' are factored in," said Michael Bender, Director of the Mercury Policy Project. "And use is still prevalent. Using data from the American Dental Association, the report found that 32 tons of dental mercury is used annually in the U.S., twice that of current estimates."

According to the report, when considering the real cost to taxpayers and the environment, amalgam is significantly more costly than composite as a filling material, by at least $41 more per filling.

"The best way to keep mercury out of our water and out of the fish we eat is to stop it from getting there in the first place," said Cindy Luppi, New England Director for Clean Water Action. "That's just common sense. This study shows the economics are on our side, too."

Charlie Brown, National Counsel, Consumers for Dental Choice, stated: "It is taxpayers who foot the bill for dental mercury in the environment, which goes uncontrolled into our water, air and land. Dental mercury contaminates fish, which in turn presents a neurological exposure risk to pregnant women and children, in particular."

In 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to propose a dental mercury pollution-control rule, stating that: "… approximately 50 percent of mercury entering local waste treatment plants comes from dental amalgam waste. Once deposited, certain microorganisms can change elemental mercury into methylmercury, a highly toxic form that builds up in fish, shellfish and animals that eat fish." The coalition noted that the Environmental Protection Agency has yet to propose its rule however.

"Amalgam has already been nearly phased out in many countries, including the Nordic countries, Germany, Italy, Japan and even Mongolia and Vietnam," said Dr. Nestor Shapka of the International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology, which has members in 14 countries. "People living in these countries recognize that mercury-free dental fillings are readily available, affordable and effective."

According the coalition, the environmental concerns and indirect health risks of dental mercury release all demonstrate the need for an amalgam phase-out. "Yet now another clear reason is provided: amalgam is far from being a bargain and is in fact significantly more costly than mercury-free fillings," the coalition stated in a press release.

The Concorde East/West report contributes to current global talks on reducing dental mercury use, including a World Health Organization report and an EU draft report on the phasing out of amalgam by 2018.

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