FDA Reluctantly Admits Mercury Fillings Have Neurotoxic Effects on Children

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http://www.naturalnews.com/024993.html

 

For the first time, the FDA has issued a warning that the mercury contained in

silver dental fillings may pose neurological risks to children and pregnant

women.

" Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the

nervous systems of developing children and fetuses, " reads a statement that has

been added to the agency's Web site. " Pregnant women and persons who may have a

health condition that makes them more sensitive to mercury exposure, including

individuals with existing high levels of mercury bioburden, should not avoid

seeking dental care, but should discuss options with their health practitioner. "

The warning was one of the conditions that the FDA agreed to in settling a

lawsuit filed by several consumer health groups.

" Gone, gone, gone are all of FDA's claims that no science exists that amalgam is

unsafe, " said Brown, a lawyer for Consumers for Dental Choice, one of

the plaintiffs.

" It's a watershed moment, " said Bender of the Mercury Policy Project,

another plaintiff.

Mercury is a well-known neurotoxin that can cause cognitive and developmental

problems, especially in fetuses and children. It can also cause brain and kidney

damage in adults.

So-called dental amalgams, or fillings made with a mix of mercury and other

metals, have been used since the 1800s. Although it is known that small amounts

of mercury are vaporized (and can be inhaled) when the fillings are used to chew

food, and though Canada, France and Sweden have all placed restrictions on the

use of mercury fillings, the FDA has always insisted that amalgams are safe.

Dental amalgams are considered medical devices, regulated by the FDA.

Even the FDA's new warning stops short of admitting that dental amalgams are

dangerous for the general population. Instead, it focuses on the same population

that has already been warned to limit mercury exposure by consuming less

seafood: children and pregnant women. The FDA says it does not recommend that

those who already have mercury fillings get them removed.

Millions of people have received amalgam fillings, although their popularity has

dropped off in recent years. Currently, only 30 percent of dental fillings

contain mercury - the rest are tooth-colored resin composites made from glass,

cement and porcelain. These alternative fillings are more expensive and less

durable than amalgam, however.

In 2002, the FDA began a regulatory review of amalgam that was expected to be

complete within a few years. In 2006, with the review still incomplete, an

independent FDA advisory panel of doctors and dentists rejected the agency's

position that there is no reason for concern about the use of amalgam. While the

panel agreed that the majority of people receiving such fillings would not be

harmed, panel members expressed concern for the health of certain sensitive

populations, including children under the age of six.

The panel recommended that the FDA conduct further studies on the risks to

children from dental amalgam, and that it consider a policy of informed consent

for children and pregnant: that is, warning those groups of the risks associated

with the fillings before installing them.

Part of the lawsuit centered on the FDA's failure to respond to these

recommendations in a timely fashion.

" This is your classic failure to act, " federal judge Ellen Segal Huvelle told

the agency.

As part of the lawsuit settlement, the FDA must reach a final decision on the

regulation of amalgam by July 28, 2009.

" This court settlement signals the death knell for mercury fillings, " Brown

predicted.

But J.P. Securities analyst Ipsita Smolinski disagreed, saying that the

FDA is unlikely to ban amalgam entirely

" We do believe that the agency will ask for the label to indicate that mercury

is an ingredient in the filling, and that special populations should be exempt

from such fillings, such as: nursing women, pregnant women, young children, and

immunocompromised individuals, " Smolinski said.

Articles Related to This Article:

• Mercury Fillings Shattered! FDA, ADA Conspiracy to Poison Children with Toxic

Mercury Fillings Exposed in Groundbreaking Lawsuit

• The great thimerosal cover-up: Mercury, vaccines, autism and your child's

health

• Mercury Does Not Belong in Light Bulbs or Vaccines

 

 

Love, Gabby. :0)

http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

 

" I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had

some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin. " ~ Jerry Newport