New Report: FDA Is Intentionally Misleading the Public about Toxic Mercury in Dental Fillings

Aug. 13, 2014 - PRLog -- Contact:  Tim Reihm

         Director of Communications and Outreach

         202.803.5123

         tim@anh-usa.org

New Report: FDA Is Intentionally Misleading the Public about Toxic Mercury in Dental Fillings

Deceptive Labeling Confuses Consumers
and Contradicts State Department Policies

August 12, 2014— Today the Alliance for Natural Health USA joined with the the Organic Consumers Association and the National Consumers League in publishing a report by Consumers for Dental Choice (http://www.toxicteeth.org/toxicteethreport-measurablymisleading.aspx) that clearly demonstrates how the FDA has misled the public about the mercury content in dental amalgams, and called on the FDA to adhere to the established policies of the State Department.

The new report is based on information collected from an international Zogby Analytics poll. It shows that a majority of consumers are unaware that the amalgam used in dental fillings is composed primarily of mercury, a known neurotoxin.  This amalgam has long been marketed using the deceptive label “silver fillings.” Fifty-seven percent of respondents did not know that silver fillings contain mercury, and nearly one-quarter thought the primary ingredient in fillings was in fact silver.

“The FDA has refused to require that the public be informed about the composition of the fillings being used in dentistry. This is a clear contradiction of the policies established by the State Department and the Obama Administration when the US ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury last year,” said Gretchen DuBeau, executive and legal director for the Alliance for Natural Health USA.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury was ratified by the United States in November of 2013 and was the first international convention on toxins in this century. It called for the phase-down of mercury use worldwide through increased regulation and education. Despite the fact that the State Department openly supports the treaty’s decisions, the FDA maintains a policy supporting the continued use of mercury in dental fillings, and there has been no effort to educate the public and protect citizens’ health.

In the US, amalgam constitutes the largest amount of mercury used in products, accounting for between 35% and 57% in 2010. The previous year, the US released an estimated 28.5 tons of amalgam into the environment.

At a news event today, Charles G. Brown, executive director of Consumers for Dental Choice, announced the launching of a Change.org petition: “FDA being hopeless, we are petitioning FDA’s superior, the HHS Secretary, who by law runs the FDA, and the Secretary of State, who signed the Minamata Convention whereby the US government promises to reduce amalgam use.”

ANH-USA has issued an urgent Action Alert to its members, asking grassroots activists across the country to contact key decision-makers in government about these new findings. “This is a case where you have a powerful lobby, the American Dental Association, that is able to influence the policy of a federal regulatory agency in direct opposition to the policies of the administration that oversees it,” DuBeau said. “The FDA needs to comply with US policy and do its job—protect the public.”

To read the full report, “Measurably Misleading: Evidence the FDA and Dental Industry are Deliberately Deceiving American Families about Mercury Dental Fillings and Why That Now Has International Consequences,” visit http://www.toxicteeth.org/toxicteethreport-measurablymisleading.aspx.

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About the Alliance for Natural Health USA (ANH-USA)§http://anh-usa.org

The Alliance for Natural Health USA is part of an international organization dedicated to promoting natural, sustainable healthcare through good science and good law. We protect the right of natural health practitioners to practice, and the right of consumers to choose the healthcare options and treatment modalities they prefer, including complementary and alternative medicine. As a membership-based organization, we unite consumers, practitioners, and industry to speak with a common voice and have worked since 1992 to shift the medical paradigm from an exclusive focus on surgery, drugs and other conventional techniques to an “integrative” approach incorporating food, dietary supplements, and lifestyle changes.

The Consumers for Dental Choice was founded in 1996.  Their Campaign for Mercury-Free Dentistry started in key states before going national and international.  Along the way, they have educated consumers, increased access to mercury-free alternatives, dismantled arguments rationalizing mercury use, protected dentists’ right to speak out, and emboldened governments to stand up for mercury-free dentistry.

The Organic Consumers Association is an online and grassroots non-profit 501(c)(3) public interest organization advocating for health, justice, and sustainability on behalf of more than one million consumers.  The Organic Consumers Fund is a 501(c)(4) allied organization of the Organic Consumers Association, focused on grassroots lobbying and legislative action.

The National Consumers League provides government, businesses, and other organizations with the consumer's perspective on concerns including child labor, privacy, food safety, and medication information. The mission of the National Consumers League is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad.