Dental amalgam is a restorative material used for filling tooth cavities. It is marketed as “silver” filling, though in reality, it contains 50% mercury, a hugely toxic metal. Many countries across the globe have banned amalgam use in children under age 15, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.
Numerous studies have established:
• Raised blood mercury levels in humans with a dental amalgam filling.
• Mercury filling as a potential threat of chronic mercury poisoning because of the constant release of mercury vapor from dental amalgams
• Correlation between mercury and underdevelopment of neurological systems in fetuses and young children.
• Mercury from a pregnant mother can impact the unborn fetus.
• Milk tooth will fall, so why use mercury filling.
• Minamata convention, the world's first legally binding treaty on mercury, also recommends phase down of mercury amalgam and mentions “Fetuses, newborn babies and children are amongst the most vulnerable and sensitive to the adverse effects of mercury.”
Despite these, laws to protect this utmost vulnerable population are yet to be imposed in our country!
Considering its serious impacts, it is time for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to ban amalgam use in a vulnerable population. All children and expecting & lactating females in India deserve equivalent protection from mercury fillings as availed by numerous around the globe.
We all need to come together to demand a ban on the use of mercury fillings in children, pregnant and breastfeeding women.
You can help by….
1. Signing the petition.
2. Posting a link to the petition
on your Facebook page, Twitter account, website, and/or e-newsletter and tag # MOHFW #IDA #Toxicslink #DCI
3. Forwarding this post to your contact list asking them to join you in signing the petition
4. Asking your contacts to share the petition with their friends and family too
With your help, we can send a strong message to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Indian Dental Association!!
