More than 137 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), individuals and
professionals from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and
Thailand have signed a declaration calling for Asia to be the largest
population on the planet to end the use of mercury in dental care.
Amalgam fillings are 50% mercury, a major neurotoxin. Its continuous use
is not justified because alternatives are now affordable, effective,
and available in Asia. The restriction of its use is demanded worldwide
in the Minamata Convention on Mercury, adopted by more than 140
governments and the EU in 2013, in Kumamoto, Japan. Signed by 128
nations and ratified by 8. The call is contained in the Civil Society
Organizations (CSOs) declaration made in Dhaka in November 2014, and
adapted by the CSOs and the individual in beginning of January 2015
towards Mercury-Free Dentistry for Asia. The declaration advocates for
Asia to become the largest and most densely populated continent to phase
out dental amalgam. The declaration highlights that mercury, which is
used in dental amalgam, is a restorative material that is approximately
50% elemental mercury and is a notorious heavy metal of global concern
that is known to be a potent poison of the human nervous system. By
adapting this declaration South and Southeast Asian CSOs, professionals
express their concern and said, “We are calling on Asia to end the use
of mercury-based dentistry. Asia is the most densely populated
continent on the planet and therefore risks incredible harm to human
health and the environment.” The CSOs say that the toxic trade in dental
mercury, which pollutes waterways and food sources, needs to be ended.
The surest route is to have a ban on the use of dental amalgam in all
countries of the continent, and have mercury-free dentistry.
Mercury-free dentistry is growing in Asia. Recent studies in India and
Pakistan show that, already, over 50% of dentists are using alternatives
to dental amalgam in India, while in Pakistan 42.86% dental
professionals strongly recommend to phase down the use of mercury/dental
mercury amalgam. In Nepal and Bangladesh, the dental association and
society of the dentist groups are also supporting the phase out of
amalgam. Asian countries are requested to declare that the children of
Asia — and all the people of Asia — have a basic human right to
mercury-free dental care and a mercury-free environment. The request
follows the existence of sound scientific evidences that mercury can
damage children’s developing brains and nervous systems even before they
are born.” In addition to the literature, the Minamata Convention on
Mercury adopted in October 2013, noted that the world recognizes dental
amalgam as a major environmental pollutant which requires each
participating nation “to phase down the use of dental amalgam.” The CSOs
concern is raised based on the fact that dental mercury accounts for
10% of annual global mercury consumption and 260-340 metric tons of
mercury pollution around the world each year. The dental amalgam mercury
enters the environment via many pathways, polluting air via cremation,
dental clinic releases, and sewage sludge incineration; water via human
waste and dental clinic releases to septic systems and municipal
wastewater; and soil via landfills, burials, and fertilizers. Once
dental mercury is in the environment, bacteriain soils and sediments may
convert it to methylmercury, “a highly toxic form that builds up in
fish, shellfish and animals that eat fish, thereby making fish and
shellfish the main sources of methylmercury exposure to humans.
In the dental workplace, uncontrolled mercury vapours are a major
occupational risk, especially to young women of childbearing age. The
CSOs are also reminding Asian countries of their efforts during
negotiations of the Minamata Convention. They worked very hard to make
sure that reduction in dental amalgam use specifically be included in
the treaty, forcefully arguing for the phase out of amalgam generally
and for an end to amalgam in milk teeth specifically. The phase down is
possible since Mercury-free dental restorative materials are far less
expensive than dental amalgam when environmental and societal costs are
factored in. The costs of using mercury-free options (including
retreatment) is about half the cost of amalgam without retreatment,
making this mercury-free technique significantly more affordable in
low-income communities, particularly in areas without electricity or
dental clinics. World Health Organization report Future Use of Materials
for Dental Restoration, says that “recent data suggest that RBCs
[resin-based composites]
perform equally well” as amalgam – and offer
additional oral health benefits because “Adhesive resin materials allow
for less tooth destruction and, as a result, a longer survival of the
tooth itself. The CSOs call the Asian countries to work together and
make Asia the first continent with mercury-free dentistry – considering
that Asia is more densely populated than any other continent and the
health and environmental costs will therefore be more significant. In
addition, the CSOs call the countries to adopt effective amalgam phase
down strategies that have been proven in nations that have already
phased out or significantly reduced dental mercury use by raising
awareness about dental mercury to parents, consumers, dental workers,
health professionals, and educators and achieve the following
priorities;
1. Make it an immediate priority to stop the use of mercury amalgam in the treatment of children and pregnant women by 2015.
2. Develop an alternative dental curriculum with a specific chapter
on the dental restoration process of amalgam and its harm to dental
staff, patients and the environment by 2015.
3. Pass national regulation to ban the use, import and sale of mercury amalgam by 2016-2020 as per country situation.
4. Promote alternative restoration materials and ensure they are affordable and accessible.
Furthermore, the CSOs call Asian countries to reject the double standard
mentality which infers that Asians must accept toxic chemicals that the
rest of the world is rejecting.
