Maine Dentists Required to Inform Patients About Amalgam Dangers

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from:

http://www.mercola.com/2001/sep/8/mercury.htm

Maine Dentists Required to Inform Patients

About Amalgam Dangers

Maine Governor Angus King today signed the most advanced

bill in the United States requiring dentists to inform their

patients that amalgam dental fillings contain a large

percentage of the toxic element mercury, which can be

harmful to the wearer's health.

In his preliminary remarks before signing the bill, Gov.

King noted that Maine has probably taken more action to get

mercury out of the air and water than any other state in the

union. " And yet we all carry it around in our mouths, " he

remarked.

Senate President Michaud spearheaded the bill and

Representatives Joanne Twomey and Stanley, all of

whom were present, spoke at the signing. Consumer advocates

Pam and Dr. Tom , a mercury-free dentist

from Houlton, ME, who led grassroots support for the bill,

participated in the ceremony as well.

Maine Senate President Michaud cited the courage of the many

individuals who testified on behalf of the bill, especially

the dentists who came forward to endorse it despite the

opposition of the American Dental Association. " We hope that

the U.S. will take Maine's lead and move forward with

legislation at the national level, " he said.

The bill mandates that every dentist's office will feature a

poster and a brochure informing patients about the presence

of mercury in amalgam fillings and about its negative health

effects.

Scientific research has shown that dental amalgam is the

chief source of mercury in the human body. For that reason

Rep. Twomey described the bill as a major step forward for

women of childbearing age and for children, who receive

their first exposure to mercury in the womb and from their

mother's breast milk.

Mercury has been implicated in neurological disorders of

children such as autism and ADD/ADHD, and in fertility

problems in women.

" We are delighted that this bill has been signed, " said Rep.

Stanley. " It is a major step forward to protect the health

of Maine citizens. "

Pam added that the group hopes Maine's next step

would be to ban the use of dental amalgam in all women of

childbearing age and in children.

" The public is being deceived by the terminology used for

these fillings, " said Brown in his remarks. " The ADA

calls them " silver " fillings, but they are really mercury

fillings. If people knew the principal ingredient is mercury

they would not want these fillings in their teeth. "

Gov. King compared the current use of mercury in dental

fillings with the 1950's use in shoe stores of powerful

x-ray machines called fluoroscopes, which exposed hundreds

of thousands of adults and children to high doses of toxic

x-rays.

" Every child who went into the shoe store to buy new shoes

would put his feet into the fluoroscope so the bones could

be seen, " King recalled. " People who worked in the store

were exposed to the radiation all day; children played games

around the machine.

Now we realize it was a terrible thing to do, but then it

seemed perfectly normal.

Some day we will wonder how we could ever have put such a

toxic substance into the human mouth. "

Dental Truth August 30, 2001

International Fluoride Information Network Bulletin #347

August 31, 2001

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Thanks one again to the Fluoride Action Network for sending

this important and very encouraging news.

Maine really seems to have one of the most effective

anti-amalgam groups in the country. I am not sure why this

is, but my hats off to them. We need more aggressive action

like this across the country, so the US could actually start

on a program to restrict the use of this highly toxic

substance that is slowly eating away at the health of our

society.

If you have the time you can email, call, or fax Governor

Angus King and the State Legislators who introduced and

supported the bill, with some support for what they did.

They will likely be getting plenty of criticism from the ADA

and others for this courageous act.

Governor Angus King - Email: governor@...,

Phone:, Fax: .

Sen. Michaud - Email: mmichaud@..., Phone:(207)

287-1540, Fax: .

Rep. Joanne Twomey - Email: jt@..., Phone:(207)

287-1400, Fax: .

Rep. Stanley - Email: stanleyss@..., Phone:(207)

287-1400, Fax:.

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COMMENTS from Connett, PhD, Fluoride Action Network:

For over 100 years the American Dental Association (ADA) has

stated that mercury amalgams are " safe and effective " and

that are no studies which indicate any health problems

associated with having mercury in the mouth.

They were wrong of course, and they probably knew they were

wrong, but they stonewalled for as long as they could none

the less.

To state the obvious, now that the authorities in Maine have

recognized the ADA was so seriously wrong on dental amlgams,

could they now re-examine that other issue (water

fluoridation) that the ADA claims is " safe and effective " ?

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Learn How Mercury Is Affecting You and the Ones You Love

The State Should Ban Mercury Fillings

The ADA Misinformation on Mercury