Hartford Courant
By Garret Condon, Staff Writer
August 10, 2005
More than 80 percent of state residents who participated in a poll released Tuesday say they support banning the use of mercury in dental fillings.
The poll results come as the state's chief environmental official is considering such a ban. Commissioner Gina McCarthy of the state Department of Environmental Protection is expected to rule in the next few weeks on whether the "silver" filling material that is a mixture of mercury and alloy powder should be outlawed under the state's 2002 Mercury Education and Reduction Act.
The poll was conducted for the Washington-based Consumers for Dental Choice, one of a number of organizations that have called for banning dental mercury.
Mercury is a highly toxic substance that can harm human health and the environment. Ban proponents believe that dentists can easily switch to alternative plastic composite or ceramic tooth-filling materials.
However, organizations such as the American Dental Association and the Connecticut State Dental Association argue that some repairs and some people require the durable, less-expensive amalgam. And, they say, amalgam has been shown to be safe for patients.
"We're trying to keep the ability to have a number of choices available," said Dr. Frederick C. Eichmiller, director of the ADA Foundation's Paffenbarger Research Center in Gaithersburg, Md. He said that amalgam is virtually the only choice when the dentist cannot keep the treatment area dry and clean, such as with deep cavities below the gum line, or when caring for children or some handicapped individuals.
In the poll, 401 state residents were asked about their knowledge of and opinions about dental fillings and mercury. Only 40 percent of those questioned were certain that silver fillings contain mercury. Nearly 90 percent support the state's zero-mercury law, and more than 80 percent said they want the law applied to ban the use of dental mercury. Respondents were willing to put their mouths where their money is: 82 percent were willing to pay more for non-mercury fillings.
Rep. Richard Roy, D-Milford, co-chairman of the legislature's Environment Committee, said that in the 2002 law, legislators intended to ban virtually all mercury products, including tooth-filling material.
"Mercury, as we have seen, is dangerous to humans," he said. "We should clean it up, as we asked in 2002. Get mercury out of Connecticut's environment."
Although Connecticut dentists are now required to use separators that collect most of the dental mercury that would otherwise wash down the drain, environmentalists say the mercury that goes into teeth eventually will end up in the environment - whether it gets buried in the ground or goes up a crematorium smokestack.
Betsy McLaughlin, director of environmental affairs at the Connecticut Audubon Society, said that banning dental amalgam is primarily an environmental issue. "I'm hoping that the ruling will come down on the side of the environment," she said.