FDA Pressed by Lawsuit to Address Mercury Amalgam Safety

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<http://www.naturalnews.com/023283.html> *Health: FDA Pressed by Lawsuit

to Address Mercury Amalgam Safety <http://www.naturalnews.com/023283.html>*

In 2006, a Zogby poll found that 76% of Americans were not aware that their

" silver " dental fillings (amalgams) are composed of 50% mercury. The poll

was sponsored by the Mercury Policy Project and funded by the International

Academy of Oral...

http://www.naturalnews.com/023283.html

FDA Pressed by Lawsuit to Address Mercury Amalgam Safety Thursday, May 22,

2008 by: Teri Lee Gruss (see all articles by this

author)<http://www.naturalnews.com/Author215.html>

| Key concepts: mercury <http://www.naturalnews.com/mercury.html>,

amalgams<http://www.naturalnews.com/amalgams.html>and the

FDA <http://www.naturalnews.com/the_FDA.html>

(NaturalNews) In 2006, a Zogby poll found that 76% of Americans were not

aware that their " silver " dental fillings (amalgams) are composed of 50%

mercury. The poll was sponsored by the Mercury Policy Project and funded by

the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT).

According to the IAOMT, Zogby pollsters also found that 92% of the 1,216

people that responded to the poll wanted " to be informed of their choices

with respect to mercury and non-mercury dental filling materials, prior to

treatment and 77% would choose higher-cost fillings that do not contain

mercury <http://www.naturalnews.com/mercury.html>, if given the choice " .

Has your dentist <http://www.naturalnews.com/dentist.html> disclosed to you

that mercury amalgams <http://www.naturalnews.com/amalgams.html> are used in

your fillings? Have you been given the option of choosing a higher priced

mercury-free filling material?

If not then don't be surprised. The American Dental Association position on

" silver " (mercury) amalgams is that they are a " safe, inexpensive option for

treating dental decay " . The ADA <http://www.naturalnews.com/ADA.html> has

held this position for almost 150 years, ignoring a large body of scientific

evidence to the contrary, according to the IAOMT document * " The Scientific

Case Against Amalgams " *.

Some things have changed in the dental profession recently however. More and

more dentists <http://www.naturalnews.com/dentists.html> protect themselves

from inhaling mercury vapors by wearing elaborate protective helmets and

masks when implanting or removing mercury amalgams, while the uninformed

patient sits, unprotected, inhaling mercury vapors and swallowing minute

particles that may be missed by the dentist's irrigation vacuum.

*The ADA fails to inform patients of the hazards of mercury

fillings<http://www.naturalnews.com/mercury_fillings.html>

*

The ADA position on the safety of mercury amalgams helps to explain why, as

recently as 2006, so many Americans are not aware of the potential risks we

face when having mercury amalgams put in our mouths. Or taken out of our

mouths. Or when, with mercury filled teeth, we chew, drink hot liquids,

brush and have our teeth cleaned and polished. All of the above increase the

release of toxic mercury vapors from our mercury fillings.

*The Center for Disease Control Weighs in on the health dangers of mercury

vapors from dental fillings*

The Center for Disease Control in its Third National Report on Human

Exposure to Environmental Chemicals - Spotlight on Mercury, July 2005 says

that " People are exposed to mercury when breathing the mercury vapor from

dental fillings " .

The CDC lists the following ways that mercury affects human health:

* The nervous system is sensitive to all forms of mercury

* Methyl mercury and metallic mercury vapors are more harmful than other

forms because more mercury in these forms reaches the brain

* Very young children are more sensitive than adults to mercury

* Mercury in the mother's body passes to the fetus and may accumulate there

* Prolonged exposure to high levels of metallic, inorganic, or organic

mercury can permanently damage the

brain<http://www.naturalnews.com/the_brain.html>,

kidneys, and developing fetus

* Short-term exposure to high levels of metallic mercury vapors may cause

effects including lung damage, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, increases in

blood pressure or heart rate, skin rashes, and eye irritation

* Not enough information is available about people's exposure to all forms

of mercury and cancer <http://www.naturalnews.com/cancer.html>. The U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency has determined that mercuric chloride and

methyl mercury may possibly cause cancer in people

*The U.S. EPA <http://www.naturalnews.com/EPA.html> lists dental offices as

the #1 mercury discharger in wastewater*

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said that " Mercury

discharges (in wastewater) from dental offices far exceeded all other

commercial and residential sources. "

As we learn more about the dangers of mercury amalgams, to humans and the

environment, a growing number of organizations are attempting to force the

FDA <http://www.naturalnews.com/the_FDA.html> to take a position on mercury,

to classify it as either safe or unsafe. For over three decades, the FDA has

negligibly avoided this issue.

*THE IAOMT explains how the FDA has moved to " quietly " categorize mercury

amalgams as a Class II medical device*

The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) explains

how the FDA has avoided the classification of pre-capsulated and mixed

dental amalgams since the medical device classification system went into

effect in 1976.

" The amalgam-using dentist is the manufacturer of record of an unregulated

product. In recent years, the pro-amalgam FDA staff has made some moves to

quietly place all amalgams in Class II (medical devices) which would remove

it from serious examination of safety " .

Mercury amalgams have been classified by the FDA as a " medical device " and

the U.S. Supreme Court

<http://www.naturalnews.com/Supreme_Court.html>recently ruled " that

medical device manufacturers cannot be sued for

injuries caused by their products if those products were pre-approved for

use by the FDA " .

Has the groundwork been laid to release amalgam manufacturers and the

ADA<http://www.naturalnews.com/the_ADA.html>from accountability for

making and placing a known, and extremely hazardous

metal in the mouths of millions of people including children and pregnant

and nursing mothers? (Supreme Court Shields Medical Device Manufacturers

from Consumer Lawsuits Sunday, February 24, 2008 by: Mike )

*FDA sued by consumer groups, state legislators, dentists and concerned

citizens*

The non-profit organization Consumers for Dental Choice is one of eleven

plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against six officials of the FDA on December

28, 2007 in the U.S. District Court of Columbia. The lawsuit claims " A

Pattern of Lawlessness at the FDA " . FDA Commissioner von

Eschenbach<http://www.naturalnews.com/_von_Eschenbach.html>;

Randall Lutter, FDA Deputy Commissioner; and Norris Alderson, FDA Associate

Commissioner are three of the defendants in the lawsuit.

As we watch other countries, like Norway and Sweden ban the use of mercury

in dental fillings because safe filling materials are available, it looks

like FDA resistance to classify mercury as an unsafe substance is straining

the patience of both citizen groups and a handful of concerned Congressional

members including Diane (D-CA) and Dan Burton (R-IN).

According to Charlie Brown, National Counsel for Consumers for Dental

Choice, in June 2007, facing a lawsuit by Congressional plaintiffs, " the FDA

promised to announce an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making (on the

safety of mercury). The promise was a sham to buy more time to keep mercury

fillings on the market. "

One expert FDA advisor, Aschner, a Professor of Pediatrics and

Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University who twice voted " No " to classify

mercury as safe said, " There are too many things we don't know, too many

things that were excluded " . Other FDA panelists complained that " The Federal

report didn't objectively and clearly present the current state of knowledge

about fillings " .

Aschner was one of a group of expert panelists, composed of physicians and

dentists that in two votes, voted 13-7 to reject the FDA pro amalgam

position. Even so, the FDA continued to stall in its long awaited, official

safety classification for mercury.

*FDA Associate Commissioner reportedly said he " was furious " that his own

grandchildren were given mercury amalgams but his actions show less concern

for other American children*

Astonishingly, Mr. Brown says that FDA Assistant Commissioner Norris

Alderson candidly expressed to a group of scientists that he was " furious

that a dentist implanted mercury fillings into his grandchild, because of

the mercury exposure from amalgam " . Mr. Brown adds that " This is the same

Norris Alderson who advocates a proposed regulation that requires the

disclosure of zinc <http://www.naturalnews.com/zinc.html> (yes, zinc) as a

façade so consumers and parents

<http://www.naturalnews.com/parents.html>(and grandparents) won't

learn about the mercury " .

Oddly, Mr. Alderson was trained in the veterinary sciences and apparently

has called for a ban of mercury in all animal medicines. Mr. Brown has

called Alderson " the chief architect of the mercury fillings cover-up at the

Food & Drug Administration and says that the hypocrisy by top FDA officials

on this issue knows no limits. " Brown has called on FDA head von

Eschenbach <http://www.naturalnews.com/Eschenbach.html> to remove Alderson

from his (six figure income) position at the FDA.

*Learn more about the dangers of mercury amalgams*

To learn more about the dangers of mercury amalgams to you and your family

and the basis for the lawsuit against the FDA, please read the source links

below. Mr. Brown of Consumers for Dental Choice has asked the concerned

public to contact FDA officials to let them know that you hold them

accountable to make a safety ruling on mercury amalgams, and soon.

Information regarding this request can be found at (www.toxicteeth.org) .

Sources and additional reading:

Consumers for Dental Choice

(http://www.toxicteeth.org/Complaint_Dec282007.pdf)

21 page lawsuit filed against the FDA by Consumers for Dental Choice.

(http://www.fdaweb.com/source/MercuryComplaint.pdf)

The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology

((http://www.iaomt.org/news/archive.asp?i...<http://www.iaomt.org/news/archive.a\

sp?intReleaseID=251>

)

IAOMT: The Scientific Case Against Amalgams

((http://www.iaomt.org/articles/files/fil...<http://www.iaomt.org/articles/files\

/files193/The%20Case%20Against%20Amalgam.pdf>

)

((http://www.toxicteeth.org/natcamp_fedgo...<http://www.toxicteeth.org/natcamp_f\

edgovt_fda_norris_alderson.cfm>

)

((http://www.toxicteeth.org/False%20 & %20m...<http://www.toxicteeth.org/False%20 & \

%20misleading%20testimony-Nov2007.pdf>

)

The Center for Disease Control

((http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/pdf/f...<http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/p\

df/factsheet_mercury.pdf>

)

Testimony of FDA Norris Alderson to the House of Rep. Sub Committee on

Domestic Policy, 11/14/2007

((http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/2007/11/...<http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/2007\

/11/t20071114a.html>

)

About the author Teri Lee Gruss, MS Human Nutrition