UN countries reject proposals to phase out mercury in dental fillings

A proposal by African countries to stop using mercury in dental fillings globally was not approved by other countries, at a UN meeting last week. Mercury comprises up to 50% of dental amalgam that fills cavities, and has been used widely since the mid-1800s. Civil society groups have long protested against this, because mercury has toxic effects on the kidneys and nervous system. But regulators from the US say it is safe for adults and a scientific committee in the EU that more research is needed to determine if it is harmful. The UN's Minamata Convention on Mercury has set deadlines to stop using the substance in some applications, but for dental amalgam it has just asked parties to "phase down" use. Last week, a group of African countries put forward a proposal to the convention's third conference of parties to ban mercury in dental amalgam by 2021 for pregnant and breastfeeding women and for children under 15. And to do so entirely by 2024 "except where no mercury-free alternatives are available".

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Posted by admin on Jan 2 2020. Filed under News at Now, News Worldwide. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry