US Dental groups sued over use of mercury
Remember that the ADA was formed mainly to promote the use of mercury as safe in amalgam fillings. There is now no question that mercury from fillings can and does end up in the bloodstream and breast milk, and that mercury is very toxic to the human nervous system. Not a very good track record for the ADA. And yet they are looked to as an authority when it comes to the use of fluoride in municipal drinking water…
(article) A coalition of public interest groups sued the American Dental Association (ADA) and the California Dental Association (CDA) on Tuesday, claiming they have misled the public about the dangers of mercury in tooth fillings. The lawsuits, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, are the latest salvo in a growing battle over mercury fillings, which opponents say can poison the body with leaking vapors possibly linked to Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological problems, especially in children and unborn babies. The dental associations insist that mercury is safe when mixed with other metals and implanted in teeth and that studies have failed to demonstrate that the low level vapors are dangerous. The lawsuits allege violations of California’s business and professions code and charge that the ADA and the CDA have issued rules preventing dentists from discussing the dangers of mercury with patients. “The worst thing they are doing is hiding the presence of mercury in fillings — which they call silver amalgam — and trying to keep dentists from saying the ‘M’ word and keep consumers from hearing the ‘M’ word,” plaintiffs’ attorney Charles Brown said. “These fillings are 50% mercury.” “We consider it to be safe and the science certainly indicates that it is,” CDA spokeswoman Linda Seifert said, adding that her organization advocates that dentists explain the risks of any procedure to patients. Fred Peterson, a spokesman for the ADA, said he could not discuss the lawsuit but issued a prepared statement which maintains that the fillings are safe. The National Institutes of Health are conducting clinical trials to investigate the effects of mercury fillings in children. Other studies of mercury in fillings have been inconclusive. Similar lawsuits have been filed in federal court in Maryland by dentists and patients, while state legislatures in New York and Maine are considering bills that would require dentists to disclose to patients the makeup of their fillings.