dental_news_march_2013 - Mercury Policy Project

New UN Treaty on Mercury Requires
Countries to Phase Down Dental Amalgam
February 05, 2013 | 19,657 views | + Add to Favorites
By Dr. Mercola
The momentum toward mercury-free dentistry is gaining speed and, it appears, may be set to
become a reality in the 21st century.
The final mercury treaty session took place in Geneva, Switzerland in January 2013. There the
mercury treaty was finalized, and included important provisions to reduce and eliminate mercury
pollution, one of them being a requirement for countries to phase down the use of dental
amalgam (mercury fillings).
As Michael T. Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project, said:1
“This is the beginning of the end of dental amalgam globally.”
Mercury Treaty Requires Countries to Phase Down the Use of Dental
Amalgam
The treaty, which has been under negotiation for four years and could be signed as early as
October, will require countries to undertake at least two of the prescribed steps to “phase down
amalgam use.” Among those measures listed are these:2

Setting national objectives aimed at minimizing (amalgam) use;

Promoting the use of cost-effective and clinically-effective mercury-free alternatives;

Encouraging professional societies and dental schools to educate and train dental
professionals in the use of mercury-free dental restoration; and

Encouraging insurance policies and programs that favor the use of quality alternatives to
amalgam.
Textbook Example of Citizen Power Challenging Corporate Power
Though we did not yet achieve the phase-out of amalgam, we made progress like never before.
Two key goals were achieved that are the next best thing. First, amalgam is the one product
with a road map, a step-by-step approach, to reducing its use; it is the only mercury-based
product with a plan.
Second, amalgam was kept in the annex, which means that a petition can later be filed to end
amalgam altogether. (Had amalgam instead been placed in the body of the treaty instead of the
treaty’s annex, this could not happen.) And this is in the biggest forum of them all -- the world
stage.
The five treaty sessions -- from June 2010 through January 2013 -- spanned almost 1,000 days.
We have witnessed a textbook case for success against the odds. A combination of vision, of
hard work, of building a team from six continents, of grassroots support beneath, and of a
consistent message paid off.
The success of the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, created upon the
recommendation of and led by Consumers for Dental Choice, shows that citizen action still can
make progress over corporate power.
Countries Around the Globe Already Phasing Out Dental Mercury
The provisions are in line with growing attitudes around the world, where phase-outs of mercury
in dentistry have already occurred or have been recommended. In October 2011, for instance,
the U.S. State Department called for a "phase down" of mercury fillings, followed by an
"eventual" phase out. The State Department's submission to the Mercury International
Negotiation Committee also called for:

Educating patients and parents (about amalgam) in order to protect children and fetuses

Training of dental professionals on the environmental impacts of mercury in dental
amalgams
Amalgams have been banned in several countries, including Norway, Sweden, Denmark,
Russia, and largely in Japan. And in a 2012 letter to European Union (EU) member state
representatives and dental experts, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) also asked
recipients to support a phase-out of the use of mercury in dentistry, both in the EU and around
the world.
The EU has been aggressive in both their intent and actions aimed at reducing mercury usage,
and even adopted a mercury strategy in 2005, which contains 20 measures to reduce mercury
emissions, cut supply and demand and protect against exposure. The EEB letter came on the
heels of a July 2012 European Commission report,3 which also recommended the phase-out of
dental amalgam and mercury in button cell batteries.
European Commission Report: Health and Environmental Concerns
Linked to Dental Amalgam
The European Commission report noted both human health and environmental concerns related
to dental amalgam:
“…dental amalgam is a significant contributor to overall EU environmental emissions of
mercury from human activities. Mercury emitted to the air can be partly deposited into other
environmental compartments (soil, surface water, vegetation). Emissions to soil and
groundwater are also significant, although their contribution to overall mercury releases to this
environmental compartment is more difficult to quantify.
It is estimated that about half of the mercury released from current and historical dental
amalgam use remains potentially bioavailable, with the potential to contaminate fish in
particular, the other half being either sequestered for long-term (stored in hazardous waste
landfills) or recycled for new purposes.
All individuals are exposed to mercury pollution to some degree; however, some groups are
particularly exposed and/or vulnerable to the health effects of mercury pollution (principally in
the form of methylmercury through diet), such as high-level fish consumers, women of
childbearing age and children.
This presents a risk of negative impacts on health, in particular affecting the nervous
system and diminishing intellectual capacity. There are also environmental risks, for
example the disturbance of microbiological activity in soils and harm to wildlife
populations. More than 70% of the European ecosystem area is estimated to be at risk
today due to mercury, with critical loads for mercury exceeded in large parts of western,
central and southern Europe.”
The environmental health effects of amalgam are well known and include brain damage and
neurological problems, especially for children and the unborn babies of pregnant women. With
dental mercury uncontrollably entering the environment from multiple pathways, phasing out
amalgam and transitioning to non-mercury alternatives is the only way to reduce – and
eventually eliminate – this significant source of mercury that threatens our environment and
ultimately our health.
Charles Brown of Consumers for Dental Choice and the World Alliance for Mercury-Free
Dentistry noted:4
"Countries that have phased out amalgam recognize that mercury-free dental fillings are readily
available, affordable and effective.” In response to the mercury treaty provisions, he explained,
“This pushes the reset button on dentistry. Now the rest of the world can benefit from the
experience of those countries."
Mercury Fillings: A Bit of Background on this Archaic Practice
Under a "drill-fill-and-bill" approach that puts profits above patients, amalgam remains popular
with dentists who choose not to get training in modern alternatives. Such protection of the
economic status quo makes a smooth transition to mercury-free dentistry all the more difficult.
Dentists inexperienced with mercury-free alternatives claim they install amalgam fillings much
faster than the primary alternative, composite fillings, but nations like Denmark, which has made
the transition, discount the claim that amalgam is more efficient.
So the rationale is to give amalgams as a cost-savings for tight health care budgets. Lowincome and middle-income people, people in third-world countries, and our soldiers – even the
pregnant ones – get mercury fillings based on this bogus "efficiency" argument. The American
Dental Association (ADA) has continued to defend their use, even though amalgam fillings
contain more toxic mercury than any other product sold in the United States and safer
alternatives, such as resin composite, are readily available.
In response to the mercury treaty phase-down requirements, they even spun a positive news
release applauding the fact that people would still be able to get mercury fillings without
restrictions.5
This isn’t at all surprising, as the ADA has historically covered up the fact that the term "silver
filling" to describe amalgams is profoundly deceptive, as the composite material contains
anywhere from 49 to 54 percent mercury, thus should be called mercury fillings not the
euphemistic and deceptive term silver filling. At one time they even declared that removing
mercury fillings is unethical and many dentists lost their licenses for removing them.
The ADA aided and abetted dental boards to yank licenses from dentists who truthfully told
patients that amalgam is mainly mercury and who advised against its use. This was despite the
known fact that dental amalgam emits mercury vapor after it is implanted in your mouth, and this
mercury bioaccumulates and endangers your health – and the environment -- in many ways.
Mercury Treaty Phase-Down May Signal the End of Dental Mercury
Globally
The ADA and other pro-mercury groups will undoubtedly continue their crusade to keep dental
amalgam – a primitive polluting product -- in the forefront of 21st century dentistry. So even
though the mercury treaty provisions are a major step forward in the phase-down and eventual
phase-out of this toxic substance, support for Consumers for Dental Choice, which has worked
to educate the government about dental mercury pollution and the many mercury-free
alternatives to amalgam, is now more important than ever.
http://www.dentistrytoday.com/todays-dental-news/8616-un-treaty-could-phase-down-amalgam
UN Treaty Could Phase Down Amalgam
Written by Dentistry Today Tuesday, 22 January 2013 21:30
Mercury use throughout the world could begin to decrease
and eventually be phased out.
The United Nations recently discussed the issue but no
date was set to fully phase out dental amalgam.
“This is the beginning of the end of dental amalgam
globally,” said Michael T. Bender, director of the Mercury
Policy Project, a US-based NGO, who is attending the
mercury treaty talks. “We applaud the leadership role the
US played in jump-starting support for a phase down in
2011 along with the concrete steps of the Nordic countries,
Switzerland and Japan in phasing out amalgam.”
There are numerous ways that countries can phase down amalgam use, according to the treaty. Countries can create
a national objective to do so, promote mercury-free dental treatment and discourage insurance policies from covering
dental amalgam treatments compared to mercury-free options.
It also would be beneficial if dental schools would train students to utilize mercury-free ways to provide dental care.
Several countries throughout the world have already thought about ways to reduce mercury usage based on how
destructive it can be. In 2012, the European Commission recommended that it would be best for mercury to be
completely eliminated in five years.
The EC BIOS report stated that mercury-free fillings seem more expensive based on the negative external costs.
Amalgam, however, adversely impacts the environment after it eventually releases.
The usage of mercury in tooth fillings represents about 10 percent of global mercury consumption, according to the
United Nations Environment Program.
http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2013/01/19/mercure-vers-la-fin-des-amalgamesdentaires_1819448_3244.html
http://www.drbicuspid.com/index.aspx?sec=sup&sub=rst&pag=dis&ItemID=312490
UNEP, IADR, WHO hash out dental amalgam's future
By Rob Goszkowski, Assistant Editor
January 28, 2013 -- The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) has followed up a 2009 World Health
Organization (WHO) report on the future of dental materials with two recent meetings designed to hash out an
agenda for carrying out the WHO's recommendations and related efforts to reduce the use of mercury and phase
down dental amalgam.
The first meeting, hosted at King's College of London on December 10-11, 2012, brought together representatives of
the IADR, WHO, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), FDI World Dental Federation, and the
International Federation of Dental Educators and Associations. Government agency representatives, dental materials
researchers from leading manufacturers, and "sentinel centers for dental materials research" also were included.
The meeting was structured around the concept that dental restorative materials were lacking durability and
resistance to fractures and wear. The respective role of each organization was recognized; for example, the WHO will
focus on assisting governments in preventing oral disease, while IADR will facilitate the communication and
application of research findings.
The FDI will work to put new research into practice and also has the difficult task of moving forward "a new paradigm
shift" from restorative to a preventive/health promotion model. UNEP, meanwhile, has been crafting a legally binding
treaty on mercury, in addition to working with governments in the realm of environmental protection.
New materials needed
At the London meeting, the participating stakeholders discussed a range of topics, including identifying performance
gaps in the current armamentarium of dental restorative materials, promising areas of dental materials research, and
developing a prioritized agenda and global action plan in dental materials research "to address individual and
population-level health with environmental compatibility and economic feasibility," the IADR noted in a summary of
the meeting.
The IADR presented information about the risks posed by restorative materials currently in use. "Safety is defined as
freedom from unacceptable risks," the organization explained. "In terms of clinical risk, all restorative materials can be
described as safe with less than 0.1% chance of reactions, which are local, compared to 12% for cosmetics."
There is "little apparent systemic toxicity" in dental restorative materials currently in use, the IADR added, although
more data about bisphenol A (BPA) is needed because research has shown that it may be harmful. In fact,
environmental concerns about mercury outweighed concerns about toxicity at the London meeting; according to the
IADR, amalgam accounts for 2% of anthropogenic mercury emissions to air and roughly 8% of mercury demand or
consumption in processes and products. The IADR also pointed to amalgam's superior longevity compared with
resin-based composites and glass ionomers.
The properties of an ideal restorative "biologic biomaterial" were specifically outlined during the meeting. It "would
seal the interface between the tooth and the restoration, be adhesive to the tooth with little or no shrinkage, interact
favorably with carious dentin and enamel, be clinically easy to use in a variety of settings, and be fracture- and wearresistant and repairable." Aesthetics, cost-effectiveness, and zero toxicity were among the items added to an
ambitious set of features.
The involved organizations will wait patiently for that material to arrive. "All were committed to the goal of the
workshop to develop a research agenda for better dental materials so that dental amalgam could be phased down,"
the IADR wrote.
Global mercury treaty unveiled
Interestingly, some amalgam supporters and antiamalgam groups both approve of the direction and pace of change
under way. At a UN forum last week in Geneva, UNEP unveiled a draft treaty -- to be known as the Minamata
Convention on Mercury -- that includes a section specific to dental amalgam.
The treaty, which has been four years in negotiation and will be open for signature at a special meeting in Japan in
October, addresses the direct mining of mercury, export and import of the metal, and safe storage of waste mercury.
The treaty also pushes for the phase down of dental amalgam, such as incentivizing amalgam alternatives through
insurance, focusing on these alternatives in dental schools, restricting encapsulated dental amalgam, focusing
research on improving alternatives, and promoting dental caries prevention. In addition, the treaty specifies a best
practice approach to minimizing the release of waste dental amalgam, currently typified by the use of amalgam
separators in dental practices that permit the capture, separation, and eventual recycling of mercury.
The UNEP proposal elicited a positive reaction from the ADA.
"The ADA is gratified that the treaty conditions pertaining to dental amalgam protect this important treatment option
without restrictions for our patients while balancing the need to protect the environment," the association stated in a
press release. "The ADA is also delighted that the proposed treaty recognizes the need for national programs to
prevent oral disease and calls for more research into developing new treatment options. Long term, it is critically
important to raise global awareness of the importance of oral health to overall health, including how to prevent dental
diseases. Doing so decreases the need for all cavity-filling and other restorative materials, including dental amalgam."
The Mercury Policy Project, an antiamalgam group that had representatives at the Geneva meeting, was also
satisfied with the draft treaty, particularly its emphasis on phasing down the use of dental amalgam and developing
alternative restorative materials.
"This is the beginning of the end of dental amalgam globally," Michael T. Bender, director of the Mercury Policy
Project, stated in a press release. "We applaud the leadership role the U.S. played in jump-starting support for a
phase down in 2011, along with the concrete steps of the Nordic countries, Switzerland, and Japan took in phasing
out dental amalgam."
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/02/05/mercury-un-treaty-abolishesamalgam.aspx
Previous Article Next Article
Mercure : vers la fin des amalgames
dentaires
LE MONDE | 19.01.2013 • Par Gilles van Kotte - Genève, envoyé spécial
Les dentistes français vont devoir changer leurs habitudes. Dans l'Union européenne,
ils sont ceux qui réalisent le plus d'obturations de caries en ayant recours une fois sur
deux à des amalgames dentaires. Selon un rapport publié en 2012 par la Commission
européenne, la France pèse à elle seule pour un tiers des 55 tonnes de mercure
utilisées chaque année dans l'Union pour la réalisation de ces amalgames et dont la
toxicité continue de faire débat.
Le texte de la convention sur le mercure, conclue samedi 19 janvier à Genève, prévoit
une diminution de l'usage des amalgames, sans toutefois fixer d'objectifs chiffrés ni
d'échéances. Chaque pays signataire s'engagera à prendre au moins deux des
mesures figurant dans une liste annexée au traité, qui vont de la fixation d'objectifs
nationaux de réduction au déremboursement des amalgames, en passant par la
prévention des caries ou la recherche de solutions alternatives.
"C'est le début de la fin des amalgames dentaires dans le monde", se félicite Michael T.
Bender, directeur du Mercury Policy Project, une organisation non gouvernementale
(ONG) américaine. "Nous militions pour une interdiction pure et simple, mais c'est un
résultat positif, reconnaît Marie Grosman, conseillère scientifique de l'ONG française
Non au mercure dentaire. Les amalgames sont en Europe la première source
d'exposition et de contamination corporelle au mercure."
"MATÉRIAU ALTERNATIF"
Les opérations de pose ou de retrait de ces amalgames produisent aussi des déchets
contenant du mercure et exposent les dentistes et leur personnel à de fortes
concentrations. Longtemps opposée à des mesures de restriction de l'usage des
amalgames, la France a changé de position en 2012.
A Genève, ce sont les recommandations, plutôt prudentes, de l'Organisation mondiale
de la santé qui l'ont emporté. L'agence onusienne estime que les amalgames dentaires
présentent un rapport bénéfices-risques favorable dans un certain nombre de cas et
que les matériaux composites, à base de silice et de résine, qui constituent une
alternative sont plus coûteux et moins solides.
"Le jour où l'on disposera d'un matériau alternatif facile d'utilisation et stable, on y
passera naturellement, rien que pour des raisons esthétiques", la couleur des
composites se rapprochant de celle des dents, affirme Jean-Luc Eiselé, directeur
exécutif de la Fédération dentaire internationale. Il estime que le traité est un
"signal" qui rappelle à la profession sa responsabilité en matière d'environnement.
http://www.journaldelenvironnement.net/article/mercure-un-premier-traite-mi-figue-miraisin,32708?xtor=EPR-9
Eau
Mercure: un premier traité mi-figue, mi-raisin
Le 21 janvier 2013 par Marine Jobert
Air, Déchets, Risques & Santé, Sites & Sols, Politique & Société, Eau industrielle, Eau potable, Pollution des eaux, Sites
et sols naturels, Sites et sols industriels, Droits/Fiscalité Risques et Santé, Produits, Espaces lacustres, ONG
L'Océan Atlantique est un réservoir à mercure.
IPEN
Le texte du premier traité sur le mercure a été négocié de haute lutte à Genève la semaine
passée. Ambitieux et insuffisant à la fois, il interdit certains produits de consommation,
limite les émissions des centrales à charbon et diminue l'usage de mercure dans les
amalgames dentaires. Grands oubliés du traité: les orpailleurs artisanaux et leurs familles,
exposés aux vapeurs de mercure et à une alimentation contaminée.
Le monde n’en a pas fini avec le mercure. Après 5 ans de négociations, les 140 Etats
parties ont accouché en fin de semaine dernière du premier traité international contraignant
visant à réguler -voire interdire- l’extraction, l’utilisation et les rejets de mercure. Un traité
ambitieux, mais plein de failles face au vif-argent, connu pour ses effets toxiques sur les
reins, les systèmes nerveux, cardiaque, gastrique, hématologique, immunitaire et
reproductif.
Premier objectif: tarir la source. L’extraction primaire minière va être interdite dans le monde
entier, d’ici 2025. Une avancée qui concerne un nombre restreint de pays –notamment la
Chine, le Kirghizistan et l’Algérie- mais qui va permettre de ne pas aggraver la
contamination mondiale déjà forte. Deuxième avancée: la plupart des produits ou procédés
utilisant du mercure seront éliminés d’ici 2020. Finis les thermomètres, batteries,
interrupteurs, crèmes décolorantes pour la peau et «lampes écolos» à vapeur de mercure,
«qui ont intoxiqué des milliers d’ouvriers lors de leur fabrication et exposé clients et
employés lors de leur recyclage en magasin», déplore Marie Grosman, présidente de
l’association Non au mercure dentaire, la seule ONG française présente à Genève pour
suivre les négociations.
Les amalgames dentaires (3 à 400 tonnes métriques de mercure par an, 10% du mercure
utilisé au plan mondial) restent dans la liste des produits dits en «phase down», c’est-à-dire
dont l’usage doit être diminué, mais pas interdit. C’est surtout Cuba, appuyé par l’Amérique
du Sud, qui a fait pression pour le maintien des amalgames. Dans la coulisse, décrit Marie
Grosman, les lobbies dentaires ont insisté sur l’aspect «prévention des caries», plaidant
qu’en l’absence de carie, les amalgames deviendraient inutiles. «Une position qui va à
l’encontre de la demande des pays africains, qui sont parmi les plus touchés par
l’augmentation de la consommation de sucre et donc par les caries», regrette Marie
Grosman, qui plaide pour l’application du principe de précaution en la matière.
Enfin, le bilan s’avère mitigé pour ce qui reste les deux plus grosses sources d’émission de
mercure: la production d’électricité –via la combustion de charbon- et l’orpaillage. Les pays
qui consomment massivement du charbon, comme l’Inde ou la Chine, se voient contraints
d’abaisser les seuils d’émission de leurs usines en activité et d’installer des filtres plus
performants pour les futures usines. Les travailleurs de l’or sont, eux, les grands oubliés du
traité. Ce sont des millions de familles à travers le monde –en France, avec la Guyane- qui
séparent l’or du minerai en pratiquant le brûlage du mercure à l’air libre. Les vapeurs de
mercure, puis la consommation de poissons également contaminés par les rejets dans les
eaux, les condamnent à l’empoisonnement. Le traité prévoit l’édiction de bonnes pratiques,
sans les réglementer plus avant. Enfin, certains secteurs ou pratiques bien spécifiques ont
échappé à toute réglementation. Ainsi pour les usages religieux –comme l’ayurveda-, les
produits à usage militaire et les vaccins pour les hommes et pour les animaux.
Globalement, au cours des diverses conférences organisées durant la semaine de
négociation, il est apparu que les normes sanitaires étaient inadaptées face à la réalité de
la contamination mondiale. «Les océans du monde entier sont des réservoirs de mercure»,
(voir photo) écrit l’International POPs Elimination Networks (Ipen), qui relève que les limites
d’exposition édictées par les agences sanitaires sont largement dépassées dans quantités
de points du globe.
Les Etats se retrouveront en octobre prochain à Minamata, cette ville côtière du Japon où,
dans les années 50, l’empoisonnement des poissons, des chats, puis des hommes révéla
l’extrême toxicité du mercure. Le traité sera alors ouvert à la ratification. Cinquante parafes
seront nécessaires à son entrée en vigueur, ce qui devrait prendre deux à trois années au
moins.