Interesting, too, is that Sweden banned dental amalgams in 1994. Germany has stopped using most forms containing mercury, and Austria, Denmark and Finland plan to outlaw amalgams. Since 1994 in California, dentists have been required to post a warning in their offices about the hazards of amalgam restorations.
I find the proposed new rule by the state Department of Environmental Protection to require dentists to eliminate mercury waste puzzling. How is it that mercury in any form in any place is poisonous, except in your mouth? A dental amalgam, the most common form of fillings, is a mixture of silver and mercury in a 50/50 mixture.
Take a look at the federal Environmental Protection Agency Web site. There, it states that "Mercury is a neurotoxin." It is poisonous, suppresses the immune system and can cause permanent damage to the brain and central nervous system.
I don't know if anyone can state for sure what effect mercury dental fillings may have on our health. But why take a chance, even if there is only a remote possibility of problems? Alternatives are available. Composite and porcelain fillings are replacements. When a filling is required on a front tooth, either composite or porcelain material is used, as silver is unsightly.
Interesting, too, is that Sweden banned dental amalgams in 1994. Germany has stopped using most forms containing mercury, and Austria, Denmark and Finland plan to outlaw amalgams. Since 1994 in California, dentists have been required to post a warning in their offices about the hazards of amalgam restorations.
We should all be concerned. Just recently, we learned that women who abandoned estrogen replacement therapy had a significant reduction in reported breast cancer. For years, we were told that this therapy safe.
How can we permit dentists to put a known neurotoxin in our mouths when the DEP is requiring them to stop throwing it down the drain? Does this make any sense?
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061223/OPINION/612230367/1032
No comments:
Post a Comment