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FDA Reluctantly Admits Mercury Fillings Have Neurotoxic Effects
on Children
David Gutierrez
Natural News
Wednesday, Dec 03, 2008
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.
(ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW)
"Gone, gone, gone are all of FDA's claims that no science
exists that amalgam is unsafe," said Charles Brown, a lawyer
for Consumers for Dental Choice, one of the plaintiffs.
"It's a watershed moment," said Michael 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. Morgan 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.
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