Dental amalgam releases an ongoing dose of mercury vapor into our bodies after it is implanted in teeth. But the mercury exposure from amalgam doesn’t stop there.
Dental amalgam’s mercury is not only released into our bodies, but also the environment we live in. For example:
- When sewage sludge contaminated by amalgam is used as fertilizer, dental mercury contaminates our soil
- When human waste from individuals with amalgam enters the wastewater, dental mercury reaches our water
- When bodies with amalgam are cremated, dental mercury pollutes our air.
Then after amalgam is in the environment, its elemental mercury can convert to methylmercury and contaminate the fish we eat – giving us yet another dose of mercury from amalgam.
In constructing our coalition for victory, Consumers for Dental Choice reaches out to environmentalists who support mercury-free dentistry:
- At the negotiations for the Minamata Convention on Mercury, we gained environmental allies from around the world, which ensured that this environmental treaty requires nations to reduce their amalgam use.
- Earlier this year, we announced the new Chicago Declaration to End Dental Industry Mercury Use, a statement by 50+ organizations – including environmental powerhouses like Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Health Care Without Harm, Clean Water Action, Environmental Working Group, Mercury Policy Project and Ecology Center – calling for action on amalgam.
- We work with the environmental justice movement because low-income neighborhoods and communities of color are disproportionately affected by mercury pollution – including pollution from amalgam.
By coordinating support from these important players from all walks of life, Consumers for Dental Choice builds the coalition we need to send amalgam to the hazardous waste bins of history.
Let’s double down against this double dose of mercury!