Dental Amalgam Scandals
A known neurotoxin such as mercury, with a vast history of scientific studies indicating harm at low levels of exposure, could not remain on the market as a medical implant for over 30+ years without a plethora of scandals to accompany it. Many of the articles in this section are based on researchers first hand experience with various health agencies of the federal government and Freedom of Information (FOIA) documents obtained by consumer advocacy groups.
The American Dental Association (ADA)
The history of The American Dental Association (ADA) is inextrictably tied to the promotion of dental amalgam and its alleged safety. The ADA has spent up to 2 million dollars a year lobbying on behalf of its interests. Through its affiliates, the ADA dictates dental school cirriculum in the USA. In addition members of the ADA have lead The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and The FDA's Centers for Devices and Radiological Health.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry continually fails in its mission to serve the public through responsive public health actions to protect people from environmental hazards and toxic exposures. ATSDR has yet to educate communities, partners, and policy makers about the health risks associated with dental mercury fillings. ATSDR authored the 1999 "toxicological profile on mercury".
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The mission of the EPA is to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment — air, water, and land — upon which life depends. The EPA's mercury amalgam waste regulations have been overtly influenced by the American Dental Association. At 24 tons, dentists are some of the largest contributors of mercury into our environment. In addition the EPA fails to address direct to air releases from dental offices and dental mercury emissions from crematories.
The European Union - EU - SCENIHR
The European Union's Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) provides opinions on emerging or newly-identified health and environmental risks and on broad, complex or multidisciplinary issues requiring a comprehensive assessment of risks to consumer safety or public health and related issues not covered by other community risk assessment bodies. SCENIHR released a blatantly misleading report, promoting the safety of mercury dental fillings.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
For over 34 years the FDA avoided properly classifying dental mercury amalgam fillings (a medical implant). In 2009 the FDA lost a lawsuit and were mandated by a court order to classify amalgam fillings. During the past 33 years the FDA has consistently acted in a manner opposite their mission statement in regards to dental amalgam. "FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy and security of... "medical devices".
FDI World Dental Federation
FDI World Dental Federation is a membership organisation composed of more than 200 member National Dental Associations and specialist groups, altogether representing more than one million dentists worldwide. The organisation is governed by a Council of delegates from member associations that are elected by a General Assembly during the FDI Annual World Dental Congress (AWDC).
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
The mission of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is to improve oral, dental and craniofacial health through research, research training, and the dissemination of health information. NIDCR is the Nation’s leading funder of oral, dental, and craniofacial research. 75% of NIDCR’s budget goes to grantees at universities, dental schools, and medical schools across the country
The National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The NIH, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency. NIH is the largest source of funding for medical research in the world. The NIH killed funding to the researcher who was able to show that mercury reproduced three of the biochemical hallmarks of Alzheimer's Disease.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
The OMB reviews agency budgets, management, legislative, regulatory, financial, procurement, and other proposals; assures that all such proposals are consistent with relevant statutes and Presidential objectives; provides both short-range and long-range analysis and advice to government officials on a variety of subjects; and develops Government-wide policies.
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
OSHA's role is to assure safe and healthful working conditions for workers by authorizing enforcement of the standards developed under the Act. But, despite knowledge of mercury's widespread use in dentistry and elevated levels of mercury in dental offices during placement, polishing and removal OSHA refuses to enforce current regulations that would protect both staff and patients from uneccessary mercury exposure.
Study Scandals
There have been many studies claiming amalgam safety which have downplayed mercury exposure and adverse health effects from that exposrue. Unfortunately, only those studies showing safety get huge coverage in the press without ever mentioning any of those studys inherent flaws or conflicts of interests. In this section we offer a critical look at those studies.
The United Nations - UN
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) coordinates United Nations environmental activities at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action.
The World Health Organization - WHO
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends. The dental division within The WHO has continually released unsanctioned papers promoting the safety of mercury fillings.
In a report to the EU-Commission the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) stated, “….no risks of adverse systemic effects exist and the current use of dental amalgam does not pose a risk of systemic disease,…” Widely published mercury researcher Joachim Mutter states, "SCENIHR disregarded the toxicology of mercury and did not include most important scientific studies in their review." Mutter also dismantles the SCENIHR position in a newly published article in the Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology, "Is dental amalgam safe for humans? The opinion of the scientific committee of the European Commission"
