For the 10th consecutive year, we now celebrate our annual Mercury Awareness and Mercury-Free Dentistry Week. With us again is Charlie Brown, executive director of Consumers for Dental Choice and former attorney general for West Virginia. As in previous years, during this week of August 23 through 29, 2020, we will double your donations to Consumers for Dental Choice, matching it dollar for dollar up to $150,000. I’m committed to doing this annual fundraiser because eliminating dental mercury is such an important effort for both human and environmental health. Over 20 years ago, Brown committed his life to this advocacy, to help improve the lives of millions of people, and your generous donations are what allow him to continue this crucial humanitarian work. >>>>> Click Here <<<<< He’s made great progress this past year, which he details in this interview. You will be delighted to know your past donations have been put to good use, and it is thanks to you that this stellar nonprofit group has been able to have such a sustained impact. This has in part been accomplished through the founding of the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, a coalition of nonprofit groups from all over the world, which elected Charlie Brown as its president. As explained by Brown:
International ProgressInternationally, the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry’s success in including amalgam as a plank at the Minamata Convention on Mercury — a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury signed in 2013 that went into effect in 2017 — has led to actions by governments across the world. Notably, the 27-nation European Union in 2018 banned dental amalgam in children under 15 and in pregnant or breastfeeding women. Health Canada also passed guidelines years ago against the use of amalgam in children, pregnant women and in those with kidney disease but, regrettably, Health Canada seems to have lost interest in using its own guidelines. Ten governments have gone further and implemented either immediate bans or a precise phase-out date. In the past year, the Philippines, Ireland, Nepal, Slovakia, Finland, New Caledonia, Moldova and the Czech Republic have all joined Norway and Sweden in the winner’s circle. It gets better: At the third Conference of the Parties of the Minamata Convention in Geneva in November 2019, all Parties to the treaty (well over 100 countries, including the U.S. and Canada) were instructed to redouble efforts and accelerate the phase-down of amalgam. To facilitate the global phase-out of amalgam, the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry helped create centers to coordinate the implementation of mercury-free dentistry in each region. There’s the Asian Center for Environmental Health in Bangladesh, the European Center for Environmental Medicine in Berlin, the African Center for Environmental Health in the Ivory Coast, and the Latin American Center for Environmental Health in Uruguay. A specialized campaign is tailored to the island states in the Caribbean, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. All of this is coordinated by Consumers for Dental Choice, which serves as Secretariat to the World Alliance. The ultimate goal of the Minamata Convention is the total ban on amalgam everywhere.
Progress in the USFollowing these international successes, the Chicago Declaration to End Mercury Use in the Dental Industry was created in the U.S. The declaration was signed by 50 organizations, including the Sierra Club, Clean Water Action, Greenpeace and Learning Disabilities Association of America. With these signatories onboard, the FDA finally sat up and took notice.
Efforts in Maine, Connecticut and Wisconsin RedoubleBrown expects we’ll get a ruling from the FDA by the end of 2020. If not, action within various U.S. states have redoubled. For example, the petition by Consumers for Dental Choice to the Maine dental board resulted, this year, in an official rule that all pro-mercury dentists — those still using amalgam — must provide written disclosure about the mercury in amalgam to all patients, parents or guardians. The patient must sign this disclosure, acknowledging they understand the risks before having amalgam placed in their teeth. That will undoubtedly cut back usage substantially.
Interestingly, Wisconsin actually has a law banning the sale of any product with elemental mercury aimed at children. Brown’s team is focused on applying this law to dental amalgam use, arguing to state officials that the law means use of this mercury product must end in Wisconsin children. African Region Poised to End AmalgamOn the international level, coming up in 2021 is the fourth Conference of the Parties of the Minamata Convention. The stars of the show could well be the African Region. Its 51 governments sponsored an amalgam phase-out amendment in Geneva last year, and are poised to do the same in Bali, Indonesia, next year. Brown comments:
Asian SuccessesWe’ve also seen major victories and forward movement across Asia. Indonesia has promised to end amalgam this year, but they’ve already stopped promoting it for public health. Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world, and its version of Medicaid is far larger than that in the U.S. If they can end the use of amalgam, so can the U.S. Use of amalgam will cease in three years in the Philippines and in five years in Nepal — they serve as guides for the continent. Vietnam ended amalgam for children and for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and is working on a “road map” for amalgam’s total demise. Bangladesh ended all use of amalgam for its entire armed forces and their families, and most of its dental schools. They now teach only mercury-free dentistry and have banished the teaching of amalgam from the curriculum. Here is a great success story from the Central African nation of Cameroon, all done at the local level:
Progress in Two Nations With Massive PopulationsWhat about the two nations with a billion-plus people? Brown has made India a major priority for the World Alliance, partnering with the nation’s leading environmental group on a national campaign, and engaging a “model state” campaign in the eastern India state of Odisha. The campaign is bearing fruit. The Indian Railway, the largest employer in the world, which employs thousands of dentists for its workers, is ending amalgam use. If the world’s largest employer can end amalgam, it is less complicated for smaller employers to do the same! The World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry also has allies in China.
Join the Fight to End Dental Mercury WorldwideAs you can see, significant progress is being made. We’ve come a long way in these past 10 years. With your continued support, we can end the health scourge that is dental mercury, worldwide, thereby improving the health of literally billions of people. This is the time to show your support. When you donate this week, I'm going to double your contribution, dollar for dollar, up to $150,000. We need to empower dentists who really understand health, and through that understanding provide the type of care that you and your family need and deserve. We need to eliminate this poison, and to do that we need to bring Consumers for Dental Choice across the finish line. We’re almost there. >>>>> Click Here <<<<< Consumers for Dental Choice is a verified 501(c)(3) corporation, which means any donations to this campaign are tax deductible. For many of you, that means you not only can leverage your donation by my doubling any amount you give, but you also can get up to a 40% tax deduction on your donation. It's a win, win, win all around. Also, if you’re a dentist who is still using amalgam, please consider removing it from your practice immediately. Not only is it harming your patients’ health, dental amalgam is also a significant source of environmental mercury pollution. As explained by Brown:
Opt for Mercury-Free DentistryOn the home front, you can help this movement by using only mercury-free dentists. They understand the risks of mercury, refuse to expose their patients and staff to mercury vapors and protect our environment from mercury pollution. How do you find one? Here are several organizations with lists or information:
from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/08/23/mercury-dentistry-awareness-week-2020.aspx
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