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				<title><![CDATA[High Levels of Mercury Found in Minnesota Babies]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=397&amp;month=2&amp;year=2012]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					from the Minnesota StarTribuneHigh Levels of Mercury Found in North Shore Babies
									Article by
								
								
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                        
                                                                        
                                            
	 	 		



                                    
                                                                        
                
                    JOSEPHINE MARCOTTY
                	
    	
								 Star Tribune
				            Updated February 2 2012  1104 PM


                                                                                 	

                         


One in 10 babies along Minnesotas North Shore are born with 
unhealthy levels of mercury in their bodies according to a new report 
on contamination around Lake Superior the first to look for the 
pollutant in the blood of US infants

Researchers at the Minnesota Department of Health said they were 
surprised to find that some of the 1465 children they tested had very 
high concentrations Its the first solid evidence that infants in the 
state are contaminated by mercury a pollutant that can cause 
neurological damage and is distributed around the world primarily by 
coalfired power plants

quotWeve never had hard evidence that there were exposuresquot said Pat 
McCann the research scientist who conducted the study for the Health 
Department and the Environmental Protection Agency EPA quotThis provides
 thatquot

Researchers also found that the Minnesota infants were more likely to
 have unhealthy mercury levels in their blood than their counterparts in
 Wisconsin and Michigan Thats probably because their mothers ate more 
fish the primary source of mercury in people health officials said 
Babies born in the summer months when local fish consumption is 
highest had more mercury than those born in winter McCann said

The northern Minnesota ecosystem where mercury in the natural 
environment is more of a problem than in other regions may also play a 
role McCann said Bacteria that are common in wetlands and lakes 
transform the heavy metal deposited by air into something that can be 
transported up the aquatic food chain  from microorganisms to fish to
 pregnant women 

quotPeople could be eating enough fish to cause exposures that we are 
concerned aboutquot McCann said Now health care providers can use the 
findings to persuade women of childbearing age to avoid fish such as 
walleye that are often high in mercury she said 

Mercury can affect the brain and nervous system development in 
fetuses and babies At high levels its been shown to affect memory 
attention and language As a result the EPA has established a health 
standard for women of childbearing age and infants of 58 millionths of a
 gram per liter of blood Anything above that is considered unhealthy 
though would not necessarily result in neurological problems

Diet warnings

The state Health Department conducted the study on infants in the 
Lake Superior Basin as part of the EPAs research into the consequences 
of mercury pollution in people Infants in that region were chosen 
because an international organization focused on Lake Superior 
contributed funding not because the population there is at higher risk
 McCann said 

Between 2008 and 2010 they randomly checked blood samples taken from 
unidentified infants born around the basin The majority by far were 
from Minnesota where the basin extends from Duluth to Hibbing and up 
along the shore to the Canadian border In all 8 percent of the babies 
had blood concentrations above the EPA health standard  up to a 
thousand times higher In Minnesota 10 percent of the blood samples had
 mercury levels above the healthy standard 

McCann said that because this is the first time a study of mercury in
 infants has been conducted its not possible to compare the findings 
with other regions or populations But other federal health surveys have
 shown that five to 10 percent of women of childbearing age have 
mercury concentrations that are considered unhealthy

Still its a clear indication that exposure to infants in Minnesota 
is too high she said and that expectant mothers should be reminded to 
be aware of how much fish they eat 

Because quotbabies dont eat fishquot she said 

 Josephine Marcotty  6126737394


                                            
                          


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				<title><![CDATA[Developmental Endocrinologists Bring BPA Fight To Public]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=396&amp;month=1&amp;year=2012]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
Although BPA and other chemicals are used in dental composite resin formulas IAOMT sponsored research has found no evidence they promote estrogenic activity under physiological conditions We continue to be interested in this critical issue and Dr vom Saal has lectured at IAOMT meetings in the pastMUs Frederick vom Saal wants FDA to ban BPA endocrine disruptorsBY
	
		
			Simina Mistreanufrom The Missourian January 31 2012COLUMBIA  For the past 20 years much of MU biology professor 
Frederick vom Saals research thoughts and time have converged into one
 point trying to get endocrine disruptors  chemicals that interfere 
with the hormone system and can cause obesity infertility and cancer  
out of daily use
Hes accomplished the laboratory part which resulted in dozens of 
scientific papers outlining the negative effects of bisphenolA an 
endocrine disruptor found in plasticsEndocrine disruptors are everywhere in the environment in plastics 
food cans clothing fabrics furniture and household and beauty 
products
Now hes doing the communicators part trying to convince US authorities to regulate the chemicals
In midSeptember vom Saal was among 20 scientists who met in a 
closed session in St Louis to discuss why in the face of what they see
 as mountainous evidence US regulatory agencies such as the Food and 
Drug Administration dont ban endocrinedisrupting chemicals
Vom Saals work and that of other scientists has so far persuaded 
11 states Canada China and the European Union to enact legislation 
prohibiting or restricting endocrine disruptors Now hes making further
 attempts to crack a tougher nut the US regulatory systemRead the full article here



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				<title><![CDATA[Mercury's Environmental Impact Harms Songbirds and Bats]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=395&amp;month=1&amp;year=2012]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					Mercurys Harmful Reach Has Grown Study Saysfrom the New York Times

By ANTHONY DePALMA

Published January 23 2012    












    The strict new federal standards
 limiting pollution from power plants are meant to safeguard human 
health But they should have an important side benefit according to a 
study being released on Tuesday protecting a broad array of wildlife 
that has been harmed by mercury emissions         


  
  
   

The little brown bat which is already stressed by 
whitenose syndrome is another species affected by mercury exposure   
                         

   


 
Songbirds and bats suffer some of the same types of neurological 
disorders from mercury as humans and especially children do says the 
study Hidden Risk by the Biodiversity Research Institute a nonprofit organization in Gorham Me that investigates emerging environmental threats        
Methylmercury the most toxic form of the heavy metal was found to be 
widespread throughout the Northeast  not just in lakes and rivers as 
had already been known but also in forests on mountaintops and in bogs
 and marshes that are home to birds long thought to be at minimal risk 
       
The new study found dangerously high levels of mercury in several 
Northeastern bird species including rusty blackbirds saltmarsh 
sparrows and wood thrushes Previous studies have shown mercurys 
effects on loons and other fisheating waterfowl as well as bald 
eagles panthers and otters In one study zebra finches lost the 
ability to hit high notes in mating songs when mercury levels rose 
affecting reproduction        
Were seeing many other species in a much larger landscape of harm from
 mercury said the principal author David C Evers who is the 
institutes executive director He called the Environmental Protection 
Agencys new mercury standards adopted last month and scheduled to take
 effect over the next four years an excellent step forward in reducing
 and minimizing the impact on ecosystems and improving ecological 
health and therefore our own health        
Mercury which occurs naturally in the earth is released into the air 
when coal is burned in power plants The gaseous mercury can drift 
hundreds of miles before settling back to earth sometimes along with 
rain The mercury can be absorbed by tree leaves when they fall to the 
ground they are swarmed by bacteria and other organisms that convert the
 mercury to its organic form The organic form methylmercury is a 
neurotoxin that can enter the food chain Small insects worms and 
snails that feed on forest litter absorb the mercury In turn they are 
eaten by birds and other small animals and so on through the food 
chain        
Dr Evers said levels of contamination were highest in habitats like 
marshes and beaver ponds that go through cycles of wet and dry even if 
they are far from power plants He also found that threshold levels at 
which some species begin to feel the effects of mercury are much lower 
than previously thought        
Songbirds with blood mercury levels of just 07 parts per million 
generally showed a 10 percent reduction in the rate at which eggs 
successfully hatched As mercury increases reproduction decreases At 
mercury levels of greater than 17 parts per million the ability of 
eggs to hatch is reduced by more than 30 percent according to the 
study        
Over all birds in contaminated sites were found to be three times as 
likely to abandon their nests or exhibit abnormal incubation or feeding 
behavior In some nests the chicks seemed to have been affected most 
they vocalized less and did not beg as aggressively to be fed        
Such consequences mimic the effects of mercury on humans whose primary 
contact with the toxin is through the consumption of fish The 
contamination can be passed to children in the womb or while they are 
nursing damaging their nervous systems and impairing their ability to 
learn        
Its incredibly important that someone is following what is happening 
to these birds said Joanna Burger a behavioral ecologist at Rutgers 
University who has studied mercury contamination in animals The birds 
not only act as sentinels to what is happening in nature but the 
results of these studies propose hypotheses for effects that have not 
yet been identified for people        
Dr Evers has been studying mercury in terrestrial species for 11 years 
across 11 states from Virginia to Maine continually adding new species
 and ecosystems In the latest study done in cooperation with the 
Nature Conservancy biologists found that little brown bats already 
stressed by white nose syndrome in the Northeast accumulate substantial
 amounts of mercury because they can live up to 30 years  three times 
as long as songbirds        
The mercury is believed to cause bats to act erratically and in some 
cases to lose their adeptness at avoiding wind turbine blades        
What people dont realize is that our rain isnt just acidic said 
Timothy H Tear director of science for the Nature Conservancy in New 
York It is neurotoxic        
The effects of mercury can lead to the degradation of entire ecosystems
 Dr Tear explained You dont see birds falling off tree limbs because
 they have too much mercury he said but theyre not doing the job 
they used to        


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				<title><![CDATA[Mercury Affects Essential Stress Hormones In Children]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=394&amp;month=1&amp;year=2012]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
from Environmental Health NewsEating mercurytainted fish affects essential stress hormones in children

        
            Jan 19 2012
        
        
        



        
       
       
        
            
      
        
            Gump BB JA MacKenzie AK Dumas CD Palmer PJ Parsons ZM Segu YS Mechref and KG Bendinskas Fish consumption lowlevel mercury lipids and inflammatory markers in children Environmental Research httpdxdoiorg101016jenvres201110002
            
        
    
    
        

  
   Synopsis by
    Aimin Chen
  


        
            
        
            Eating fish can raise mercury levels that alter hormones and
 increase chronic stress and immune responses in children despite the 
heart benefits of fish consumption

        
    
        

       A
 study raises concern about childrens exposure to mercury through fish 
eating tying it for the first time to hormone changes that increase 
chronic stress and associated immune system dysfunction The 
mercury levels measured in the children were well below the levels 
considered a health risk by the US Environmental Protection Agency This
 new study from Oswego County New York finds that higher mercury 
levels measured in the childrens blood are significantly associated 
with lower cortisol levels The hormone cortisol is released in response
 to stress and is important for metabolism immune responses and blood 
pressure Its levels naturally fluctuate during the day  levels are 
higher in the morning and lower in the afternoon Even lower 
cortisol levels and responses can result in chronic stress even though 
stress increases the hormones level The studys results suggest that 
mercury exposure at levels commonly seen in fish eating populations may 
do this It may act as a chronic stressor and disrupt the stress 
response Chronic stress means the body doesnt relax  cells 
continually function in high gear and do not return to a normal state 
Longterm stress can have many negative health effects such as increased
 heart disease more metabolic disorders and lowered immunity The
 findings are in line with prior studies in people and fish The toxic 
metal increased inflammation in miners exposed to mercury Animal 
studies find reduced cortisol levels in mercurycontaminated fish after 
capture stress Fish consumption is a major source both of 
beneficial omega3 fatty acids and toxic mercury Omega3s benefit 
health by protecting against heart disease Mercury is potentially 
harmful because it affects the brain and nervous system in children 
Although there are fish advisories in many states it is still uncertain
 whether the benefit of eating fish outweighs the potential harm in 
children To address the pros and cons of fish eating in 
children the researchers examined 100 children from 9 to 11 years old 
in New York State Parents reported childrens fish consumption which 
was categorized as eating or not in the analysis Blood mercury levels 
blood lipids cortisol in saliva and inflammation markers were measured
 Blood lipids indicate future heart disease risk cortisol reflects 
changes of stress response and inflammation markers indicate immune 
response differences Fish eaters had higher HDL  or so called 
good cholesterol  related to lower heart disease risk than nonfish 
eaters However the fish eaters also had much higher  almost three 
times higher  mercury levels than nonfish eaters 11 and 04 
microgram per liter respectively Mercury levels were related 
to lower cortisol levels at all time points in the study The highest 
mercury levels had about 2025 percent lower cortisol in saliva samples 
compared with lowest mercury levels At the same time children with 
higher mercury also had higher inflammatory markers in their blood The
 study is limited by its design as a onetime survey not a followup 
study More work is still needed to examine whether the association is 
robust in larger studies with a followup design



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				<title><![CDATA[Two Bills in New Hampshire would Eliminate Water Fluoridation]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=393&amp;month=1&amp;year=2012]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					from the Fluoride Action NetworkJanuary 12 2012We are starting 2012 with a major opportunity in the state of New Hampshire This legislative session there are two separate bills in the State Legislature prohibiting the addition of fluoride to drinking water within the stateThe first bill HB1529 relative to the introduction of fluoride and herbicides into the drinking water of the state prohibits fluoridation as well as adding herbicides in drinking water sources for milfoil eradication The public hearing for this bill has not been scheduled but it has been referred to the same committee as the second billThe second bill and the most promising is HB1416 relative to the introduction of substances into the New Hampshire public water supply This bill expressly prohibits fluoridation and also prohibits adding any chemicals to drinking water for medical or therapeutic purposes such as fluoride amp lithium The bill was referred to the House Resources Recreation and Development committee HB1416 was introduced by Representative Anne Cartwright R who lives in the city of Manchester which uses fluorosilicic acid She became aware of the issue when we introduced our infant warning bill in New Hampshire last legislative session We worked together to draft the language and find initial support for the billOn Tuesday January 10th the public hearing was held on HB1416 All but 3 of the 17 committee members were present including one of the bills cosponsors Rep Pettengill who sits on the committee Speakers in favor of the bill were4 NH Representatives Cartwright Mirski Kingsbury PettengillStuart Cooper FANs Campaign Manager  spoke and answered questions for at least 20 minutesRoger Masters PhD of Dartmouth College amp Coauthor of the CoplanMaster study that found increased lead uptake in communities using inorganic fluoridesWritten testimony in favor was also submitted by a local doctor a public health nurse and a mother from Dover whose children have been overexposed to fluoride from their drinking water Speakers in opposition to the bill were  NH Dental AssociationNH Oral Health CoalitionNH Public Health AssociationNH Dept of Health and Human Services3 separate pediatricians NH public health membersNH Childrens AllianceManchesters Public Health Director NH Department of Environmental ServicesAmerican Water Works Association along with 2 individual water companies who are member of the AWWA NH Rural Water AssociationNH Municipal AssociationThe public health organizations read the standard CDC talking points on fluoridation repeating themselves over and over again particularly the claim that fluoridation is quotone of the top ten public health achievements everquot The cost savings of 38 per person was also repeated often as was the claim that there are hundreds if not thousands of studies showing fluoride is both safe and effectivewithout reference to any Heres an example of the testimony against the bill from the NH Childrens Alliance which collaborates with the PEW Charitable TrustsThe NH Dept of Environmental services as well as all of the water works companies and associations opposed the bill because of concerns about the language of the bill not about our opposition to fluoridation They are rightly concerned that quotpotable waterquot is currently undefined in NH statutes and this bill could inadvertently prohibit chemicals to control odor turbidity and clarity The sponsors and myself agreed that this was not our intention and that we were suggesting an amendment to that section of the bill and would present it at subcommittee hearingsAll of the committee members were given a doublesided sheet of paper with 20 Questions to Ask Proponents of Fluoridation prior to the public hearing This was very helpful in giving our supporters on the committee an opportunity to show the weaknesses in our opponents arguments The most popular questions asked by legislators during the hearingDo you know of any other medicine in which we dont bother about controlling doseThere is no other medicine we put in the drinking waterDo you agree that American children are getting too much fluoride today as evidenced by high dental fluorosis rates Are you aware of the CDC 2010 report that indicates that 41 of American children aged 1215 have some form of dental fluorosis Does systemic fluoride supplementation require a prescription How much can you prescribe to infants AdultsIf it isnt recommended that you prescribe to infants then how can you justify putting it in the water for mothers to use for formula especially without the supervision of a doctorIf its recommended that adults consume 1mg of fluoride a day in prescription form how can you justify 1mg of fluoride per liter of tap water when you cant control how many liters people are consumingThe medical professionals who answered these questions admitted that they cannot control dose and that some people quotmight be at elevated risk of fluorosisquot but that the quotonly side effect was fluorosis and its merely cosmetic and can often make teeth look more white and betterquot When answering questions about infants the pediatricians simply said quotif mothers are concerned about fluorosis they can use bottled water in their formulaquot These answers actually seemed to help us with the committee members One mentioned that her daughters friend has fluorosis and that it was really quotawful lookingquot and had a major impact on the girls confidence Another legislator commented that people shouldnt have to use bottled water to make infant formula Legislators really seemed to hone in on the ethical question of adding substances to drinking water as well as the overexposure to children particularly infantsAfter the hearing the Chairman of the committee announced that he would create a balanced subcommittee to discuss and research this bill further I expect the subcommittee members to be announced on Friday and for the subcommittee to start meeting sometime next week The full committee will likely vote on the subcommittees recommendation before FebruaryIf you live vacation or work in New Hampshire and would like to help by contacting committee members please send me an email and I will make sure you are added to the NH Action list I would like to urge FAN supporters to hold off on sending emails to the committee members until we are closer to the full committee vote another week or two Right now they are still hearing from medical and scientific professionals as well as local constituents who support the bill Legislators have made it clear that if they get hundreds of emails for an issue they will simply delete them and mark them as spam which will stifle communications from key experts and local residents If you are a NH resident a victim of fluoride overexposure or a medical or scientific expert and would like to communicate your support for HB1416 to the committee the best way to accomplish this for now would be to send the members hardcopy letters Legislators are looking for science and medical opinions and evidence They would like to keep emotion out of this debate if they can Please take this into consideration when writing to committee membersSincerely Stuart CooperCampaign ManagerFluoride Action Network 
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				<title><![CDATA[Power Plant Rules: Protecting Babies From Neurotoxins]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=392&amp;month=12&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					

By William Hudson CNN
updated 943 AM EST Thu December 29 2011Read the full articleCNN  The Environmental Protection Agency 
recently finalized a rule that for the first time requires US coal and
 oilfired power plant operators to limit emissions of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants
EPA rules in place under the 1990 Clean Air Act have targeted acid 
rain and smogforming chemicals emitting from power plants But perhaps 
surprising to many those rules have never included limits on mercury a
 neurotoxin known to damage developing fetuses and children
How this policy affects your health
The benefits of this new rule in terms of dollars saved and death 
prevented far outweigh the costs to companies and consumers according 
to peerreviewed EPA studies
US power plants account for only about 1 of global mercury 
emissions Even so for each dollar spent reducing mercury and hazardous
 air pollutant emissions under the new rule the EPA projects up to 9 
in health benefit savings by preventing an estimated 11000 premature 
deaths and 4700 heart attacks each year
Among children the new limits are projected to prevent 130000 cases
 of asthma and 6300 cases of acute bronchitis each year the EPA 
estimates
quotThese standards rank among the three or four most significant 
environmental achievements in the EPAs historyquot said John Walke Clean
 Air director of the National Resources Defense Council an 
environmental advocacy group quotThis rule making represents a 
generational achievementquot




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				<title><![CDATA[EPA finalizes tough new rules on emissions by power plants]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=391&amp;month=12&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					from the Washington Post
		

			
					
			
					
						By  Juliet Eilperin and Steven Mufson Published December16
	
				
			
			
				
				
				
				
				The Obama administration finished crafting tough new rules Friday
 curbing mercury and other poisons emitted by coalfired utilities 
according to several people briefed on the decision culminating more 
than two decades of work to clean up the nations dirtiest power plants
						As part of lastminute negotiations between the White House and
 the Environmental Protection Agency the regulations give some 
flexibility to power plant operators who argued they could not meet the 
threeyear deadline for compliance outlined by the EPA Several 
individuals familiar with the details declined to be identified because 
the agency will not announce the rules until next week
				The new rules will cost utilities 106billion by 2016 for the 
installation of control equipment known as scrubbers according to EPA 
estimates But the EPA said those costs would be far offset by health 
benefits The agency estimates that as of 2016 lowering emissions would
 save 59billion to 140billion in annual health costs preventing 
17000 premature deaths a year along with illnesses and lost workdaysRead the complete article here


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				<title><![CDATA[Evangelicals, Catholics Back Mercury Limits]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=390&amp;month=12&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					from Living On EarthDecember 16 2011Mercury from power plants can be harmful to developing fetuses In an
 unusual alliance that has the potential to shift pollution politics 
Catholics and evangelical Christians opposed to abortion are joining 
forces with child health advocates to lobby for stricter limits on 
mercury pollution Living on Earths Ingrid Lobet reports
                  
                  
                  
                  Transcript
          
			            	GELLERMAN Well for 20 years the EPA has been 
wrestling with regulating mercury Most of the mercury in the 
environment comes from coalfired power plants  and today one baby in 
six in the US is born with dangerously high levels of the neurotoxin 
Now the EPA is at last launching its new standards and a religious 
coalition is adding its voice to the debate Living On Earths Ingrid 
Lobet reports
	LOBET An alliance of Catholics and evangelical Christians opposed 
to abortion has been pressing EPA to set limits on mercury to protect 
the neurological development of babies in utero Its airing ads like 
this in seven states
	TV AD PASTOR TRACEY Coal burning power plants in our region have 
helped raise mercury levels in our waters threatening the unborn with 
permanent brain damage Thats why I am counting on Senator Alexander to
 defend the EPAs ability to protect the unborn from mercury pollution
	LOBET The ads were produced by the Evangelical Environmental 
Network Reverend Mitchell Hescox is president He says 100 other faith 
leaders the National Association of Evangelicals and the United States 
Conference of Catholic Bishops have signed on Reverend Hescox and 
colleagues have visited the offices of dozens of members of Congress in 
recent years to lobby on the issue saying
	HESCOX If their faith is important to them and life is important 
to them shouldnt you be concerned about what mercury does to our 
unborn childreLOBET The issue of fetal health is not the only reason theyve 
become involved in the mercury issue The fact that 40 percent of the 
countrys lakes and rivers are contaminated with mercury which rains 
out of the atmosphere and is taken up by fish is also moving people
	HESCOX So were just poisoning our Gods creation and were taking 
away the things like family fishing recreational activities that many 
of us have enjoyed who are natural outdoors people
	LOBET Many coalfired power plants have already invested in the 
equipment that removes mercury from their emissions The EPA says new 
rules would eliminate more than 90 percent of what remains And an 
alliance of Evangelical and Catholic voters with childrens health 
advocates is a development that could prove formidable in pushing for 
action on pollution issues For Living On Earth Im Ingrid Lobet
	GELLERMAN You can hear the full interview with Mitchell Hescox at our website LOE dot ORG


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				<title><![CDATA[Illinois coal plants ahead of EPA mercury rule ]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=389&amp;month=12&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					from the Muscatine JournalDecember 16 2011Most Illinois utilities wont miss a beat when the US
Environmental Protection Agency requires coalfired power plants to
control mercury emissions for the first time  a decision
environmental and health advocates say will reduce developmental
problems in children but some industry groups complain is too
restrictive
        
            
            
            In fact the state already is way ahead
        
            
            
            The volume of mercury and mercury compounds emitted by Illinois
23 power plants has fallen 44 percent from 2008 through 2010 
from a combined 4482 pounds to 1984 pounds according to EPA data
 partly due to a state rule adopted four years ago Several plants
already meet or exceed the goal of reducing emissions 90 percent by
2015
        
            
            
            quotWeve had a lot of success in Illinois were very pleasedquot
said Laurel Kroack chief of the Illinois EPAs bureau of air quotA
lot of utilities thought they would never get to 90 percent but
with a few tweaks they got beyond itquotRead more httpmuscatinejournalcomnewsstateandregionalillinoisarticle279087c999ed50f1926790bc9f9609cehtmlixzz1goBLzG9t
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				<title><![CDATA[Christian environmental group says the EPA's new rules on mercury pollution is a pro-life issue]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=388&amp;month=12&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
from mLivecomPublished Saturday December 03 2011  800 AM  Updated Saturday December 03 2011  734 PM
		
			
			



	
		
			By 
	
	
	
	
		
			
	
		
			
	
		
	
	
	
	
	Jim Harger  The Grand Rapids Press

		
	

		
	
The federal governments strict new rules on mercury emissions are a 
prolife issue that Christians should embrace to protect unborn 
children according to a group of Christian environmentalists

The Evangelical Environmental Network EEN
 is airing 60second radio commercial that urge US Sens Carl Levin 
and Debbie Stabenow to embrace new EPA rules aimed at reducing mercury 
emissions from power plantsThe ads airing on 17 Michigan radio stations quotwith a heavy 
concentration of them in West Michiganquot is part of a 150000 
advertising campaign aimed at congress persons in seven key states who 
are sensitive to prolife issues said EEN spokesman Alexei Laushkin

In the radio ads Rev Tracey Bianchi an evangelical pastor and 
mother from suburban Chicago argues mercury poisoning is a prolife 
issue because it can cause permanent brain damage and developmental 
disabilities in the unborn

The campaign also includes billboards in Arizona Pennsylvania and 
Ohio and emails to nearly 10 million evangelicals and Catholics 
Laushkin said

quotOne in every six babies in the US are born with harmful mercury 
levels in their bloodquot said the Rev Mitch Hescox EEN president

quotProlife members of Congress should be doing everything they can to 
protect the unborn from this threatquot Hescox said in a statement quotFor 
the life of me I cant understand why some are trying to block the EPA 
from regulating mercury levels when they know the unborn will pay the 
pricequot

Facing criticism from industry and lawmakers the Obama 
administration on Friday proposed easing rules aimed at reducing toxic 
air pollution from industrial boilers and incinerators

But administration officials maintained that the health benefits of the regulation wouldnt be compromised

quotWe have found a way to get better protections lower emissions and 
lower costs as wellquot said the Environmental Protection Agencys top air
 pollution official Gina McCarthy In a conference call with reporters
 McCarthy said the agency had found the quotsweet spotquot since issuing the 
final rules under a courtordered deadline in March

That quotspot is affordable practical regulations that provide the 
vital and long overdue health benefits that Americans demand and 
deservequot she said

The changes would require pollution controls at the 5500 largest and
 most polluting boilers nationwide such as those at refineries and 
chemical plants An additional 195000 smaller boilers would be able to 
meet the rule through routine tuneups

 The Associated Press contributed to this report

Email Jim Harger jhargergrpresscom and follow him on Twitter at twittercomJHHarger



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				<title><![CDATA[Watsonville Fluoride Battle 10 Years After Approval]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=387&amp;month=11&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					from the Santa Cruz CA SentinelWatsonville fluoride battle ten years after approval backers fight back as support wanes
    




    
    




	
	    
	    
	    
	    
	    
	
	    
	    
			
			
	    		By DONNA JONES and MARISSA FESSENDEN
			
	    
	    
	    
	    
	




    
    

    
    
		Posted11262011 033429 PM PST
	





	
	




    
    



WATSONVILLE  Chew on this
Taking a bite out of an epidemic of tooth decay among Watsonvilles 
children by fluoridating the water seemed like a nobrainer 10 years 
ago After all communities across the United States have been adding 
fluoride to their water to protect teeth against cavities for more than 
50 years and no less than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
 hails the practice as one of the 10 greatest public health advances of 
the 20th century
But a decade after the City Council voted to become the first to 
fluoridate in Santa Cruz County the chemical has yet to flow through 
taps Battles at the ballot box and in court stalled the endeavor and 
now the cost threatens to kill it
And nationwide opposition to water fluoridation is growing across 
the political spectrum from people with libertarian leanings to civil 
rights leadersRead the whole article and take a look at the comments too


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				<title><![CDATA[State Department Endorses Phase-Down of Amalgam, Keeps It On UNEP List]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=386&amp;month=10&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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On Monday October 24 2011 the US Department of State held a meeting of stakeholders to help define its position on the next phase of negotiations for an international treaty to control trade in mercury and its productsREPORT FROM DOS MERCURY STAKEHOLDER MEETING 102411Presented by Freya Koss IAOMT publicistOn Monday October 24 2011 the State Department held the second of two quotMercury NGO Stakeholder Meetingsquot in Washington DC The meetings were held in preparation for the thrid session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to prepare a globally legallybinding instrucment on mercury INC3 which will be held by the United Nations Environmental Programme in Nairobi Kenya from October 31November4Presiding over this US Department of State DOS meeting was Dr John Thompson Deputy Special representative for Global Partnerships assisted by Daniel Reifsnyder Department Assistant SecretaryDr Thompson delivered the DOS decision and it was simple and direct Dental amalgam fillings containing approximately 50 mercury will remain in Annex C the list of products whose trade will be limited or banned of the UNEP Intergovernmental Committee INC Treaty This decision means that dental amalgam fillings will be quotPHASED DOWNquot not PHASED OUTHe also noted that the DOS was appreciative of the views and input presented by attendees at the Stakeholder meetings and that the decision to keep amalgam in Annex C was in part based on listening to Stakeholders at previous meetings as well as the documentation providedI have always sensed respect and appreciation for our assistance from Dr Thompson Deputy Secretary Reifsndyer and Andrew Clark administrator DOS Office of Evnironmental Policy who has been my contact personAfter the DOS announcement that vaccines were not included in Annex C but amalgams were a representative I believe was from Dentsplys materials division questioned quotWhat is the difference between dental amalgam and vaccines The individual was clearly upset by the decision to include amalgams in Annex C and was concerned as to why would amalgams be considered more dangerous than vaccinesDr Thompsons response was quotThere is enough evidence about this issue to phase it down By that we dont mean phase outquot The referral to quotthis issuequot was mercury silver amalgam dental fillingsBoth health and environmental risks were discussed in the meetings and considered in the State Departments decision In our discussions we presented the fact that Sweken Denmark and Norway abolished mercury amalgams based on the environmental hazards We also noted that Swedens peerreviewed studies have shown that amalgam removal has led to improved health and documented research has shown that governmental expenses have been reduced for healthcare disability and environmental mercury remediationWhen Dr Thompson was asked to explain the meaning of quotphase downquot his said it would be a slow process not knowing the length of time it would take He also explained that there are difficulties in getting all of the countries to agree and facilitate the quotphase downquot In noted that these lengthy deliberations are common when negotiating Treaties of this sortI expressed my concern about the timeline because of the thousands of people who will continually be harmed noting the scientific evidence of harm I reiterated Charlie Browns of Consumers for Dental Choice and the Wold Alliance for Mercury Free Dentistry input about safe alternatives specifically the ART technique as well as the issue of insurance not covering white alternative fillings which Charlie also addressed I shared my own experience when my dentist offered me a quotwhite fillingquot or quotsilver fillingquot and when I asked what the difference was he said quotInsurance covers the silver onequot no mention of quotmercuryquotRegarding environmental precautions Dr Thompson emphasized the need for amalgam separators in all dental offices and the need to follow safe practices of disposal of amalgam in the dental officeDr Thompson further explained that it was necessary to educate the public and do research I questioned the necessity for research when the scientific documentation has already proven that mercury fillings are a hazard to health and the environment He responded by saying that the research would ostensibly be about how to facilitate the phase down for the entire world and that they had no control of that element of the phase down I felt that his answer was sincereThe reason given for not including vaccines in Annex C was based on the need to prevent childhood illnesses especially in developing countries Further DOS stated that there was insufficient evidence of harm from vaccines They relied on studies by CDC and other academic institutions In addition they said that Thimerosal in vaccines was not causing environmental pollutionProvaccine attendees said that vaccines save the lives of millions of children in developing countries and without them it would be a disastrous situation As such they hoped to substantially increase the volume of vaccines to these countries Their mantra was that there is no scientific proof that autism or any childhood diseases resulted from mercury containing vaccinesFollowing the meeting we were interviewed for coverage of the State Department meeting by Fox news 17 in Nashville TNUS Government Takes Controversial Stand on Silver Amalgam Dental Fillingshttpwwwfox17comnewsroomtopstoriesvideoswztvvid9687shtmlwap0amp





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				<title><![CDATA[Yukon River Deposits High Mercury Levels In Arctic]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=385&amp;month=10&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					Yukon Delivers A Plug Of Mercury In Response To A Changing Climatefrom The Daily Climate Oct 25 2011
Thawing permafrost and industrial pollution are fingered as culprits
By Douglas Fischer
Daily Climate editor
The Yukon River is delivering upwards of five tons of mercury a year 
to the Arctic environment likely in response to a warming climate 
scientists from the US Geological Survey announced Tuesday
The river is pumping three to 32 times more mercury into the 
environment than similarly sized river basins based on limited data 
And while scientists dont know the reason for the Yukons big mercury 
load they say evidence points strongly to two suspects Thawing 
permafrost and the Yukon basins unique placement as a catchment for 
pollution from Asia and EuropeRead the entire article here


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				<title><![CDATA[Looking to Save Money, More Places Decide to Stop Fluoridating the Water]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=384&amp;month=10&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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from the New York Times October 13 2011MIAMI  A growing number of communities are choosing to stop adding 
fluoride to their water systems even though the federal government and 
federal health officials maintain their full support for a measure they 
say provides a 25 percent reduction in tooth decay nationwide        
Last week Pinellas County on Floridas west coast voted to stop 
adding fluoride to its public water supply after starting the program 
seven years ago The county joins about 200 jurisdictions from Georgia 
to Alaska that have chosen to end the practice in the last four years 
motivated both by tight budgets and by skepticism about its benefits   
     
Eleven small cities or towns have opted out of fluoridating their water 
this year including Fairbanks Alaska which acted after much 
deliberation and a comprehensive evaluation by a panel of scientists 
doctors and dentists The panel concluded that in Fairbanks which has 
relatively high concentrations of naturally occurring fluoride the 
extra dose no longer provided the help it once did and may in fact be 
harmful        
It is a view that also was shared by four out of seven commissioners in 
Pinellas County who first raised the proposal as a cost cutting measure
        
quotIm in opposition to putting a medical treatment into the public 
drinking water supply without a vote of the people who drink that 
waterquot said Norm Roche a newly elected Republican county commissioner 
who spent 10 years doing policy research for the county Water Department
 and who led the turnaround effort quotWe had a dozen to 15 doctors 
dentists dental hygienists and chemists here who want us to continue 
this practice but who could not agree themselves on how best to use 
fluoridequot        
Some 700000 people  75 percent of the county  will be affected by the
 vote The rest receive water from a different source Read the full article





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				<title><![CDATA[FDA Director Shuren Confronted at Town Hall Meeting, Says Amalgam Announcement Coming]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=383&amp;month=9&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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From Charlie Brown of Consumers for Dental ChoiceFDA agrees to amalgam announcement this yearThe US Food and Drug Administrations Director of the Center for Devices has agreed that FDA will issue an quotannouncementquot on amalgam by the end of this yearDr Jeff Shuren who signed the appalling 2009 amalgam rule agreed to this timeline as he presided at an FDA town hall meeting in San Francisco on September 22 It was the third FDA town hall meeting this year  and for the third time our movement showed up in force to confront Dr Shuren about the dangers of mercury fillings The first town hall meeting was in Texas the second in Florida and now the third in California  these states represent a quarter of the US population California grassroots director Anita Vazquez Tibau presented testimony on behalf of Consumers for Dental Choice She highlighted amalgams devastating impact on the Latino community Many Spanish speakers told me that their dentists have never ever used the word mercurio in a discussionquot Anita explained to Dr Shuren quotInstead it is deceptively called la amalgama plata  silver fillings Id like to see you tell everyone that mercury is toxic and please post it in Spanish as well Then Anita reminded Dr Shuren of his own famous boast We dont use our people as guinea pigs in the US She held high a photograph of a Latino kindergartener whose mouth is filled  top and bottom  with mercury fillings FDA admits that amalgam can cause neurological harm in young children Their developing neurological systems are more sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of mercury vapor says FDA And FDA admits there is no evidence that amalgam is safe in children under age six No clinical information is available says FDA So stop treating Latino children like guinea pigs Anita concluded Dr Shuren responded What I can tell you is we intend to come out with an announcement by the end of the yearThe clock is running FDA has 97 days left to act I congratulate all the Californian consumers and dentists who confronted Dr Shuren at the San Francisco town hall meeting  and everyone who has spoken up for mercuryfree dentistry in their community It was the grassroots movement rising up all across America that put amalgam at the top of FDAs to do list Thank youSo what will FDA do Will FDA act as its own scientists recommended 1 end amalgam use in children pregnant women and hypersensitive adults and 2 make sure that every parent knows amalgam is mercury not silver Or is FDA simply going to announce that it will do something at a later dateAs many of you have been doing since 2009 I urge that you write Director Shuren at jeffshurenfdahhsgovFirst thank Dr Shuren for agreeing to act on amalgam this year Second ask Dr Shuren to take real action this year  dont just announce that FDA might act sometime in the future As Anita explained our children are being subjected to mercury fillings now  they cannot wait another year Third tell Dr Shuren to take the advice of the FDA scientists he convened in December 2010 Stop amalgam use in children pregnant women and hypersensitive adults immediately And warn every consumer that amalgam is mercury  a neurotoxinCharlie27 September 2011Charles G BrownNational Counsel Consumers for Dental ChoicePresident World Alliance for MercuryFree Dentistry 



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				<title><![CDATA[Hispanic Organization Votes to Oppose Water Fluoridation]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=382&amp;month=9&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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from wwwSpotsOnMyTeethcomFor immediate release September 14 2011NEWS RELEASELeague of United Latin American Citizens Condemns Fluoridation as a Civil Rights ViolationEllijay GA  In an action with farreaching national ramifications the League of United Latin American Citizens LULAC the oldest Hispanic civil rights organization in the United States has adopted a resolution opposing the practice of water fluoridationThe resolution was passed at the 2011 LULAC national convention in CincinnatiThe news adds Hispanic leaders to a growing list of groups and prominent individuals now speaking out against the controversial practice of fluoridation including former Atlanta mayor and UN ambassador Andrew Young Dr Martin Luther King Jrs daughter and niece Dr Bernice A King and Dr Alveda King Coalition of African American Pastors President Rev William Owens and civil rights leader and minister Dr Gerald DurleyThe Hispanic community is no longer going to be silent on this issue says Henry Rodriguez LULACs Texas civil rights chairman This is about forcing us to be medicated through our drinking water without our consent or full disclosure of the risksFluoridation is a civil rights violation he says Opposition to fluoridation is going to continue building and there is no stopping it There are millions of Hispanics and other minorities in the US who dont have the funds to avoid fluoridated water for making their babies milk formula And millions of families dont know theyre being medicated in their drinking water or about possible risks for kidney patients and diabeticsHuman rights advocate Dr Bernice A King states Water fluoridation needs to end It is good that organizations are lending their support to help push this outdated and harmful practice of fluoridation toward collapse This is wonderful newsBabies diabetics kidney patients and other groups are listed by the National Research Council as susceptible groups especially vulnerable to harm from ingested fluoridesWater utilities add fluoride chemicals to drinking water to help prevent cavities They are the only chemicals specifically added to treat or prevent a health condition in the body rather than to treat the water itselfFluorides are listed in the Drug Facts information on boxes of fluoridated toothpaste sold to help prevent cavities says Daniel G Stockin of The Lillie Center Inc a firm working to end water fluoridation But water utilities havent been acknowledging fluorides as a medication when they are added to drinking water for the same purposeThe Gerber company now sells an unfluoridated bottled water so parents of young babies can avoid using fluoridated water when mixing milk formula Major toothpaste manufacturers are also now selling unfluoridated toothpaste for toddlers marked Fluoridefree Safe if swallowedAfter decades of water fluoridation data from the US Centers for Disease Control indicates that Hispanics have significantly higher levels of untreated cavities than whites and that Hispanics have disproportionate amounts of fluorosis stains disfiguring their teethFluoridation certainly hasnt been very effective at preventing cavities in Hispanics states Stockin Oral health education and access to dental care for disadvantaged families this is what Hispanic families needThe LULAC resolution notes the National Research Councils 2006 acknowledgement of large gaps in research on fluorides effects on the body and that these gaps contradict assurances made by public health officials that fluorides and fluoridation have been exhaustively researchedThe resolution also demands to know why health agencies are more protective of the public policy of fluoridation than they are of public healthWatch what develops now as members of the Hispanic legal community are awakening to this issue Stockin says This issue of disproportionate fluoride harm to minorities is gaining attention because it is real and we have science supporting it The train has left the station Fluoridation is ending You can look for a quickening cascade of cities water utilities health officials and others distancing themselves from fluoridationReference Links  Sources LULAC resolution full text httplulacorgadvocacyresolutions2011resolutionCivilRightsViolationRegardingForcedMedication Contact information for Henry Rodriguez of LULAC phone 2108575329 email lulaczapatistayahoocom Contact information for Dr Bernice A King contact Carmen L Cruz phone 4044082103 email clcruzeffectivemediagroupcom Hispanics experience significantly more untreated cavities than whites httpwwwcdcgovFeaturesdsUntreatedCavitiesKidshttpwwwnidcrnihgovDataStatisticsFindDataByTopicDentalCariesDentalCariesAdults20to64htm CDCs data showing minorities with disproportionate amounts of dental fluorosis see table 23 httpwwwcdcgovmmwrpdfssss5403pdf Sample photos of dental fluorosis wwwSpotsOnMyTeethcom National Research Council report on fluorides see Susceptible Subpopulationsquot section pp 35051httpbooksnapeduopenbookphprecordid11571amppage350 and sensitive populations page 30 httpwwwnapeduopenbookphprecordid11571amppage30 Hispanics at increased risk for kidney disease httpwwwkidneyorgkidneydiseaseckdindexcfm Hispanics at nearly double the risk for diabetes compared to nonHispanic whiteshttpwwwdiabetesorginmycommunityprogramslatinoprogramsutmsourceWWWamputmmediumDropDownIMCamputmcontentLatinoamputmcampaignLA Trend 1 in 2 minorities will develop diabetes httpforecastdiabetesorgnewscoworkersfamiliesandfriendsstepoutstopdiabeteswalkersaremakingeverystepcountfigh Centers for Disease Controls 60 years of extensive research statement see Safety and Fluoridation httpwwwsbohwagovMeetings20100609docsTab16hFluoridationCDCFAQspdfNEWS RELEASE CONTACTDaniel G Stockin MPH The Lillie Center Inc PO Box 839 Ellijay GA 30540Ph 7066690786 email stockin2yahoocom web httpwwwSpotsOnMyTeethcom



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				<title><![CDATA[Family History of Mercury Related Pink Disease Linked to Autism]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=381&amp;month=8&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					From The Age Australia August 10 2011A FAMILY history of mercury poisoning has emerged as a significant risk factor for developing autism Melbourne researchers say

            A Swinburne University survey of 522 Australian survivors
 of pink disease  a form of mercury poisoning common in the early 20th 
century  found that one in 22 of their 398 grandchildren aged six to 12
 had an autism spectrum disorder The prevalence is seven times higher 
than the one in 160 diagnosed in the general populationRead more httpwwwtheagecomaunationalmercurypoisonlinkedtoautism201108091iky6htmlixzz1UgMHXNIs
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				<title><![CDATA[Citizens for Safe Drinking Water Sues Water District]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=380&amp;month=8&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					from Citizens for Safe Drinking WaterLargest Water Wholesaler in Southern California Sued for Illegal Use of an Unapproved Drug to Fulfill Fluoridation ProgramSAN DIEGO Aug 10 2011 PRNewswire  Alleging willful misrepresentation and deceptive business practices by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California attorneys for citizenconsumers from San Diego Los Angeles and Ventura Counties filed a lawsuit in the public interest of millions of consumers in Southern California citing that MWD of SoCal has made claims of safely and effectively treating and preventing dental disease in recipient consumers while selecting and delivering a hydrofluosilicic acid drug through their water system that has never been approved for safety and effectiveness nor in the expected dosages delivered by MWD through retail water districts either topically systemically through ingestion or transdermal exposures through baths and showersIn legal action which may impact the decisionmaking of water districts across the country employing the same practices the lawsuit filed on August 9 in US District Court Southern District of California addresses the Constitutional right of Plaintiffs to be free of bodily intrusion from a drug that has not been approved for MWDs intent to alter the physical structure and bodily functions to make a persons teeth more resistant to the demineralization process of tooth decay without their consentWhile some consumers may elect to purchase bottled water for drinking virtually all consumers are captive to exposures from baths and showers as simple filtration and most noncommercial methods do not remove the product resulting in exposures to consumers similar to that of medications delivered by seasickness or nicotine patchesquotThis case does not challenge the public policy of fluoridationquot states Kyle Nordrehaug attorney for the Plaintiffs quotIt does challenge MWDs bait and switch tactics of orchestrating statements by them and their downline distributors of water to individual consumers when MWD knew that the actual drug product that they deliver had never had a toxicological study performed on the health and behavioral effects of its continued use until 2010 much less approval for MWDs perpetuation of absolute health claimsquotDespite early misrepresentations in the media MWD of SoCal is not compelled to fluoridate its water by the State of California and the costs of adding the unapproved drug are being borne by consumers in the form of rate hikes without water districts providing ratepayers clear notice of what the extra costs are for or obtaining their consentThe lawsuits filing clarifies that Congress has established that the US Food and Drug Administration is the only government entity with the authority to approve claims of safety and effectiveness for products intended to treat and prevent disease and that not only has the US Environmental Protection Agency never had that authority but in 1988 abandoned authority for safety standards for all direct water additives including fluoridation chemicalsWhile the Plaintiffs do not seek an award for any physical harm they do point to evidence concerning safetyharm and effectiveness that by law and for consumers protection requires that the product be thoroughly evaluated and approval given for any claims and MWDs intended health impact before exposing consumers without their consentPlaintiffs point to MWDs misrepresentations and omission of any notice of contraindications government recognition of susceptible populations and scientific evidence of disproportionate harm to children Latinos and African Americans from the particular harmful side effects from the hydrofluosilicic acid drug selected by MWD above other forms of fluoridequotThis lawsuit pushes past the rhetoric and reliance on unaccountable endorsements or opinions that usually accompany this subject and focuses on whether MWD of SoCal adds hydrofluosilicic acid to public drinking water in order to treat or prevent dental disease and whether FDA regulates products intended to treat disease or notquot said Jeff Green National Director of Citizens for Safe Drinking Water and spokesperson for the PlaintiffsquotIn essencequot continued Green quotthe Plaintiffs are saying Dont tell us or the media or the court how safe it is Go tell it to the FDA through the evaluation process and get approval for the claims for the specific product you deliver and dont administer it to us topically systemically through our ingestion or through our skin from our baths and showers without our consent until you doquotContacts Jeff Green 8232Plaintiff Spokesperson 8232Citizens for Safe Drinking Water 8232800 7283833greenjeffcoxnet keepersoftheWellorgKyle Nordrehaug Attorney Blumenthal Nordrehaug amp Bhomik858 5511223
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				<title><![CDATA[New Study Fails to Refute Fluoride-Osteosarcoma Link]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=379&amp;month=8&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					From the Fluoride Action Network Yesterday the Fluoride Action Network distributed the following media release responding to the latest fluoride propaganda from the dental community  Please help us combat the profluoride spin machine by forwarding this press release to your local media contacts and outlets   NEW YORK Aug 2 2011 PRNewswireUSNewswire  A paper in the Journal of Dental Research by dentist Chester Douglass and colleagues quotAn Assessment of Bone Fluoride and Osteosarcomaquot 72811 claims to show no association between fluoride bone levels and osteosarcoma a form of bone cancer However Douglass study has serious scientific flaws and is incapable of disproving a previous study Bassin et al 2006 which linked water fluoridation to osteosarcoma reports the Fluoride Action Network FAN Bassin found a 500 to 600 increased risk for young boys exposed to fluoride in their 6th to 8th years of later developing osteosarcoma Douglass study does not address exposure during this critical period because it measured the level of fluoride in bone which accumulates fluoride over a lifetime These bone levels provide no information about when the person was exposed to fluoride Not only does Douglass study fail to refute Bassins main finding it suffers from other serious weaknesses 1 Douglass study was much smaller and weaker than Bassins It had only 20 control subjects under age 30 a fifth of Bassins For this key age group Douglass study was so small it could provide no reliable conclusions Even Douglass admitted this serious limitation 2 Douglass choice of comparison group is suspect Douglass compared the bone fluoride level of patients with osteosarcoma to quotcontrolsquot with other forms of bone cancer If fluoride also causes these other bone cancer types then one would not expect to find any difference in bone fluoride between these groups It is biologically plausible that fluoride could cause other bone cancers because it reaches such high concentrations in bone One of the only studies of fluoride and nonosteosarcoma bone cancers did find a link but this evidence was never mentioned by Douglass 3 The controls were severely mismatched to the cases Controls were much older median 41 yrs than the cases 18 yrs The risk of osteosarcoma is highly agedependent Also fluoride builds up in bone with age Given Douglass small sample size it is unlikely he could have adequately compensated for the gross mismatch in age especially because of these two simultaneous age dependencies The groups were also mismatched on sex ratio and osteosarcoma risk is well known to be sex dependent Properly adjusting for sex and age would be virtually impossible   In 2001 Douglass signed off on Elise Bassins PhD dissertation which found the strong association between fluoride and osteosarcoma When it was later published in a peerreviewed scientific journal in 2006 Cancer Causes and Control an accompanying letter from Douglass claimed that his quotlargerquot study would eventually refute Bassins findings But Douglass also told a Fox News reporter that Bassin quot did a good job She had a good group of people advising her And its a niceits a nice analysis Theres nothing wrong with that analysisquot   Now that Douglass study is finally published it is clearly incapable of refuting Bassins work According to FAN director Paul Connett PhD quotBassins study was a high quality product Douglass study was notquot Chris Neurath FANs Research Director points out quotEven though Douglass collected extensive fluoride exposure histories from hundreds of other controls that data was ignored in this paper FAN is calling for the release of all of the Douglass data The only way to get to the bottom of Douglass two decades study is to make the data available for any independent researcher to check and do the analyses which Douglass has failed to provide The public has paid millions for this data why is most of it still behind locked doorsquot   One reason is suggested in Douglass conflictofinterest declaration where he says he has quot written reviews of the literature for several companies that sell reimburse for or do research on preventive dentistry products most notably GlaxoSmithKline ColgatePalmolive Dentsply Quintile Delta Dental PlansquotOmitted was his paid editorship of Colgates promotional dental newsletter which regularly contains advertisements for Colgates fluoride products The International Association of Dental Research IADR publishers of The Journal of Dental Research has a history of promoting fluoridation   Connett says quotIn my opinion it seems that Douglass is more interested in protecting fluoride than investigating this issue objectively Bassins work suggests fluoridation may be causing a frequently fatal cancer in teenage boys Douglass after five years of trying has failed to refute this disturbing evidence How long will fluoridation promoters be allowed to continue to spin this issuequot quotWhy are dentists  especially those who have shown a strong interest in protecting the water fluoridation program  conducting and publishing cancer research anywayquot asks Connett A more detailed critique of Douglass paper will be posted soon at wwwfluoridealertorg   Contact Paul Connett PhD 
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				<title><![CDATA[Global Mercury Treaty May Include Ban on Mercury in Medicine]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=378&amp;month=8&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					Press Release from CoMeD the Coalition for mercury free drugsGlobal Mercury Treaty May Include Ban on Mercury in MedicineSILVER SPRING Md August 1 2011 PRNewswireUSNewswire  CoMeD  On Friday July 22 2011 the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP distributed a revised text for its comprehensive global treaty on mercury  Advocates for mercuryfree drugs were gratified to see pharmaceuticals listed in Annex C Mercuryadded product not allowed of the proposed treatyThe Coalition for Mercuryfree Drugs CoMeD helped initiate this addition through its advocacy efforts at the United Nations UN negotiations held in Chiba Japan in January 2011  CoMeD President Rev Lisa Sykes the mother of a son diagnosed with vaccinerelated mercury poisoning described to representatives of over 150 participating nations how   unnecessarily injecting mercury into pregnant women and children as part of a vaccine or other drug is an ongoing and often unrecognized crisisThimerosal 496 mercury by weight still used as a vaccine preservative and inprocess sterilizing agent is an unnecessary and sometimes undisclosed component in many vaccines  Its use is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders cancer birth defects and miscarriage  Those harmed most by Thimerosal in vaccines are the unborn and newbornAddressing the diplomats attending the UN meeting in Chiba Dr Mark R Geier of CoMeD observed For this treaty to be fully effective it must make clear that the intentional exposure of humans especially pregnant women and young children to mercury will not be tolerated Dr Geiers comments were especially wellreceived by the diplomats from developing nations  CoMeD representatives met with regional working groups in closeddoor sessions and explained the feasibility of using 2phenoxyethanol a much less toxic alternative to Thimerosal in vaccines and other drugsDr Geier challenged the inequity of providing wealthy nations with vaccines having reduced levels of mercury while poor nations still receive vaccines containing dangerously high levels of mercury Children around the world no matter their place of birth or their income level deserve safe mercuryfree vaccines  The practice of providing mercuryreduced and mercuryfree vaccines to developed countries while insisting that developing nations take mercurycontaining ones is wrongBy the end of negotiations in Chiba diplomats from developing countries requested the Secretariat to assess the safety of mercury in drugs A team of scientists and advocates from CoMeD will attend the next treaty negotiation in Nairobi Kenya from October 31 through November 4 2011 to support keeping this global ban on mercurycontaining drugs in the finalized UN treaty
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				<title><![CDATA[Californians for Green Dentistry Racks Up Another Win]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=377&amp;month=8&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					Starting with a vote of confidence in Costa Mesa for their campaign to ban amalgam in the state of California the citizens group Californians for Green Dentistry have received a proclamation from Miguel Pulido the mayor of Santa Ana supporting the effort the proclamation is attached below
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				<title><![CDATA[ADA Misrepresents Results of FDA Amalgam Hearing]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=376&amp;month=7&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					from FDA WebviewAmalgam Petitioners Charge ADA with Misrepresentation07112011 Nearly two years after petitioning FDA to upclassify andor bar the use of dental amalgam in children under 6 and pregnant or nursing mothers three lawyers and a retired University of Virginia medical professor complained in a 711 letter to the agency that the American Dental Association ADA has been misrepresenting results of an FDA hearing on their issues held last December In the 13page letter see attachment attorneys James M Love Robert E Reeves and James S Turner and professor emeritus Richard Edlich cite an ADA News article in which association president Raymond F Gist was reported to have commended an advisory panels call for continued research while offering support for the Food and Drug Administrations current amalgam regulation The panel found that FDA acted appropriately in ruling last year that dental amalgam is a safe and effective treatment option for the general population The petitioners new letter to FDA says the writers have carefully reviewed the transcript of the hearing to determine whether support exists for Dr Gists comments We are sure you will agree there is not In a footnote they give another example of the ADA allegedly continuing to confuse the public about this important public health issue They say that recently association stated othere than maybe allergic reactions theres no evidence at all of any ill effects Its not elemental mercury that just leaks into the body The authors tell FDA In fact there is no longer any credible scientific debate about this issue Dental amalgam is the primary source of mercury in the general public and there is a broad body of science demonstrating that this mercury can have serious adverse health effects The rest of the petitioners letter concentrates on extracts from the December advisory committee transcript that support their arguments that FDAs 2009 amalgam rule placing amalgam in Class II instead of Class III was based on outdated science and faulty interpretations of available science Significantly the letter says FDA did NOT emphasis in original ask the 2010 Committee whether dental amalgam should be banned the very relief requested by our petitions Yet CDRH director Jeff Shuren is obviously aware that banning amalgam is the issue on the table At a recent Town Hall meeting in Irving Texas Dr Shuren was quoted as saying the question is whether or not dental amalgams should be banned altogether Now the panel did not recommend that They did point out that there may be certain populations who are more sensitive to dental amalgam The petitioners letter faults CDRH for not asking the committee whether amalgam should be banned and for not giving instruction on the regulatory criteria for a ban Had it done so the petitioners say the committee would have been able to address this   
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				<title><![CDATA[BPA Among Chemicals Targeted By New Regulatory Bill]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=375&amp;month=7&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					Bill Would Let Federal Regulators Ban Certain Chemicals  By   William Hudson CNN July 8 2011 213 pm EDTCNN  A new bill could alter the landscape of chemical 
regulation in the United States by empowering researchers to take swift 
action against the most potentially harmful chemicals in use today The
 bill to be introduced later this month would give the director of the
 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and a panel of 
experts selected by the director the power to ban up to 10 chemicals 
from commerce each year by categorizing them as being of high concern Those chemicals would become unlawful to use 24 months after receiving that designation Among
 the chemicals that could be subject to a ban is bisphenol A or BPA a 
hormonedisrupting substance widely used in plastics that has been the 
target of controversy in recent monthsClick to see the whole articleComment  BPA a common component of dental composites has been of particular concern in dentistry See accompanying article

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				<title><![CDATA[Amalgam Is Not Dead Among Young US Dentists]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=374&amp;month=7&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					from MedscapecomUS Dentists Amalgam Use Surprises ResearchersJune 17 2011  Despite improvements in resinbased composite technology US dentists are placing more amalgam restorations than composites and amalgam is still emphasized by US dental schools according to the results of 2 studies published in the June issue of th More Info 
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				<title><![CDATA[Council of Europe Calls For End of Amalgam]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=373&amp;month=7&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					From Consumers for Dental ChoiceThe Council of Europe calls forrestricting or prohibiting the use of amalgams The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution on 27 May 2011 urging its 47 member countries to start restricting or prohibiting the use of amalgams as dental fillingsDeputy Jean Huss Luxembourgs representative to the Council of Europe not to be confused with the European Union drafted the meticulously researched report that explains two major reasons behind this call to actionAmalgam is a health threat  amalgams are the prime source of exposure to mercury for developed countries also affecting embryos foetuses through the placenta and children through breastfeeding Exposure to mercury can seriously affect the health of patients and dental professionals  Amalgam is an environmental threat  between 60 and 90 tonnes of mercury from dental surgeries are released into and contaminate Europes atmosphere surface waters and soil every year The Council of Europes groundbreaking resolution will have a favorable impact on the ongoing mercury treaty negotiations  With this resolution the Council of Europe joins the growing international call for the amalgam phaseout that is already endorsed by the African region the Arab League and the United States government  The Council of Europes report observed that the US position itself is likely to change the global debate on amalgams   Thank you to Marie Grosman who testified before Monsieur Huss and the Council of Europe SubCommittee on Health in preparation for this report and the resulting resolution  Marie is the life science lecturer who leads the mercuryfree dentistry movement in France along with the group Non Au Mercure Dentaire  She also serves as Vice President for Europe World Alliance for MercuryFree Dentistry the coalition that represents our cause on the international front  CharlieCharles G BrownNational Counsel Consumers for Dental ChoicePresident World Alliance for MercuryFree Dentistry1 July 2011 
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				<title><![CDATA[South Dakota Waste Management Identifies Thimerosal Free Vaccines as Hazardous]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=372&amp;month=6&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					In an undated document from the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources state waste management officials sayquotIn addition to the multidose vaccines containing thimerosal discussed above some companies offer a 05 mgL single dose prefilled syringe vaccine Some of these products are labeled preservative or thimerosalfree More Info 
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				<title><![CDATA[Fairbanks Alaska To End Fluoridation After 50 Years]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=371&amp;month=6&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					From the Fairbanks Daily News  MinerFairbanks City Council halts additional fluoride in city water
		
			
        
          by
          
            Dorothy Chomicz  dchomicznewsminercom
          
          
          
        
      
			Jun 07 2011FAIRBANKS  The Fairbanks City Council voted 51 Monday to ban additional fluoride from Fairbanks drinking water Ordinance
 5849 prohibiting the addition of fluoride to community water systems 
was introduced by Mayor Jerry Cleworth on May 23 after recommendations 
made by the Fairbanks Fluoride Task Force The task force was created by
 the City Council to study the fluoridation issue and included experts 
in the fields of chemistry geochemistry microbiology medicine and 
dentistryCouncilwoman Emily Bratcher cast the only no voteBratcher
 pointed out the task force recommended the ban even though experts such
 as the American Dental Association The Alaska Department of Public 
Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support the 
use of fluoride in public water supplies I dont feel comfortable voting yes said BratcherFairbanks water contains natural fluoride levels of 03 parts per million and city utilities increased that to 07 ppm The vote came after more than an hour of pubic testimony most of it in favor of passing the ordinance The reasons for opposition to fluoride varied One woman maintained that fluoride was used by the Nazis to sterilize people in concentration camps and make them docile Many
 people pointed out that fluoridated toothpaste and mouthwash is 
available in stores while others said fluoride should not be added to 
drinking water without the consent of the publicCoert Olmsted quoted a prominent pharmacologist as saying that fluoride has toxic effects if taken internallyThere
 is no way to control how much a person drinks said Olmsted pointing 
out the possibility of accidental fluoride overdose because of something
 as simple as thirstA blonde woman holding an infant drew 
applause after she cited the task force report stating that higher 
fluoride puts nonnursing infants at riskIts harmful for 
nonnursing babies Harwyn here is not a nonnursing baby  hes a 
heavily nursing baby and momma has to drink a lot of water to keep up 
with his demandThe original language of the ordinance was 
amended to state the ordinance would be effective July 1 The original 
start date was January 1 2012 a date intended to give Golden Heart 
Utilities time to purge the water system of fluoride Mayor Cleworth 
stated the utility company notified the city that it would be able to 
remove the fluoride in the space of several days though they werent 
sure what they would do to adjust the change in pH levels that would 
result from the fluoride removalContact staff writer Dorothy Chomicz at 4597590			
        Read more  Fairbanks Daily NewsMiner  Fairbanks City Council halts additional fluoride in city water 
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				<title><![CDATA[Free Speech for Science Bill Introduced in House]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=370&amp;month=5&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					from Mercolacom
Consumers are largely kept in the dark about the potential health benefits of foods and supplements Why Because current law makes it illegal for food and supplement producers to share this information
Congressmen Jason Chaffetz RUT and Jared Polis DCO have introduced the Free Speech about Science Act HR 1364 This landmark legislation protects basic free speech rights ends censorship of science and enables the natural health products community to share peerreviewed scientific findings about natural health products with the public
This is a small bill with vast potential leverage
For this very reason the bill will have opposition It will be opposed by the FDA which flatly forbids food and supplement manufacturers from mentioning any link between a product and a health condition and by drug companies fearing competition from natural health approaches 
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				<title><![CDATA[Dental Mercury Comes Under Fire at Orlando FDA Meeting]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=369&amp;month=5&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					IAOMT members and our publicist Freya Koss organized heavy attendance at this meetingFrom the Orlando SentinelquotThe debate over the continued use of mercury in dental fillings was the 
focus of Thursdays FDA townhall meeting in Orlando as more than a 
dozen antimercury activists demanded that the government restrict or 
ban themquotClick here for the complete article


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				<title><![CDATA[Georgia Civil Rights Leaders Call For End to Fluoridation]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=368&amp;month=4&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
From the Fluoride Action Network On Wednesday April 13 2011 Dan Stockin of the Georgiabased Lillie Center announced that Atlanta civil rights leaders Andrew Young and Dr Gerald Durley have called for Georgia legislators to repeal the states 40 year old mandatory water fluoridation law A law that disproportionately harms poor citizens and black families resulting in higher rates of dental fluorosis and overexposure to fluoride in these populations Both men have expressed concerns about the fairness safety and full disclosure regarding fluoridation in letters submitted to the States minority and majority legislative leaders this week  This is big news since both Andrew Young and Dr Gerald Durley are prominent figures in Georgia and have both been inductees to the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame Young is a former UN Ambassador and former Mayor of Atlanta and Reverend Durley is the Pastor of Providence Baptist Church in AtlantaCurrently fluoride chemicals added to 96 of Georgias public drinking water supplies are meant to prevent tooth decay especially in the poor Yet 61 of lowincome Georgia thirdgraders have tooth decay compared to 51 from higher income families  and 33 and 20 respectively have untreated cavities showing a dire need for dental careStudies show that despite fluoridation tooth decay is higher in blacks along with fluoride overexposure symptoms  dental fluorosis or discolored teethIn his letter to legislators Dr Durley wrote quotThe National Research Council NRC of the National Academy of Sciences has designated kidney patients diabetics seniors and babies as susceptible subpopulations that are especially vulnerable to harm from ingested fluorides Black citizens are disproportionately affected by kidney disease and diabetes and are therefore more impacted by fluoridesI support the holding of Fluoridegate hearings at the state and national level so we can learn why we havent been openly told that fluorides build up in the body over time and why our government agencies havent told the black community openly that fluorides disproportionately harm black Americansquot Ambassador Young wrote quotI am most deeply concerned for poor families who have babies if they cannot afford unfluoridated water for their babies milk formula do their babies not count Of course they do This is an issue of fairness civil rights and compassion We must find better ways to prevent cavities such as helping those most at risk for cavities obtain access to the services of a dentistquotThis news comes on the heels of a recent letter sent to the neighboring Tennessee Health Commissioner by a bipartisan group of Tennessee legislators expressing their concern about fluoridations undesirable impact on babies and other groups see letter  Today the Fluoride Action Network shared the news about this momentous call for Georgia legislators to repeal the states fluoridation law in a nationwide press release We urge you to read the full press release with references and forward it along to your local media outlets With you help we can disclose the dangers of fluoride and its disproportionate impact on some of our most vulnerable populationsTogether we can win this Stuart Cooper Campaign DirectorFluoride Action Networkhttpwwwfluoridealertorg  
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				<title><![CDATA[IAOMT to CDC: Fluoridation Affects Minorities More Severely]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=367&amp;month=4&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently revised downward their recommended levels of fluoride in drinking water recognizing that water fluoridation increases the incidence of dental fluorosis and that there is a lot of fluoride in the commercial food chain see IAOMT News We wrote a letter to the CDC emphasizing that babies kidney patients and African Americans are all subpopulations more highly affected than the rest of the population

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				<title><![CDATA[US State Department Endorses Amalgam Phase-Down at UNEP Conference ]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=366&amp;month=4&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					from Charlie Brown and consumers for Dental ChoiceUS government calls for the phaseout of amalgamIn an extraordinary development that will change the global debate about amalgam the United States government has announced that it supports a phase down with the goal of eventual phase out by all Parties of mercury amalgam This statement  a radical reversal of its former position that any change toward the use of dental amalgam is likely to result in positive public health outcomes  is part of the US governments submission for the upcoming third round of negotiations for the world mercury treatyWhile couched in diplomatic hedging  remember it is still early in the negotiations  this new US position makes three significant breakthroughs for the mercuryfree dentistry movement1 The US calls for the phaseout of amalgam ultimately and recommends actions to phase down its use immediately Incredibly the government adopted three actions that the World Alliance for MercuryFree Dentistry and Consumers for Dental Choice proposed at the negotiating session in Chiba Japan Our key ally The Mercury Policy Project laid the groundwork for this success at a World Health Organization meeting in 20092 The US speaks up for protecting children and the unborn from amalgam recommending that the nations educate patients and parents in order to protect children and fetuses3 The US stands up for the human right of every patient and parent to make educated decisions about amalgamWhat does this mean Our position  advocating the phaseout of amalgam  is now the mainstream because the US government supports it Who is the outlier now Its the promercury faction represented by the World Dental Federation and the American Dental Association With the US continuing its leadership role in this treaty we will broadcast the US position to other governments around the world encouraging them to support amalgam phase downs leading to phaseouts not only globally but within each of their countries We applaud the US government But tough work lies ahead For example we must demonstrate to the world that the available alternatives  such as composites and the adhesive materials used in atraumatic restorative treatment ART  can cost less than amalgam and will increase access to dental care particularly in developing countriesFor now though lets mark this watershed in the mercuryfree dentistry movement the debate has shifted from whether to end amalgam to how to end amalgam CharlieCharles G BrownNational Counsel Consumers for Dental ChoicePresident World Alliance for MercuryFree Dentistry5 April 2011
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				<title><![CDATA[FAN-Australia Drops a Bombshell on Fluoridation]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=365&amp;month=4&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					Media Release Brisbane Australia 4 April 2011Merilyn Haines the director of the newly formed group FANAustralia Fluoride Action Network Australia has found some startling statistics buried deep in official research material by ARCPOH The Australian Research Centre Population Oral Health at the Adelaide Dental School that could scuttle the water fluoridation program once and for allHaines has found in the ARCPOH statistics that the permanent teeth of children in largely unfluoridated lt5 before 2009 Queensland were erupting on average two years earlier than the children in the rest of Australia which is largely fluoridated see the figure below A twoyear delay would negate all the small reductions in tooth decay claimed by dental researchers since 1990 In other words fluoridation doesnt work Any difference in tooth decay claimed to be due to fluoride is simply an artefact of the delayed eruption caused by fluorideSource  Published and unpublished data from 2003 2004 Australian Child Dental Health Surveysunpublished data obtained by Freedom of Information applicationAccording to Professor Paul Connett director of the Fluoride Action Network who is currently on a fluoridetour of New Zealand Critics of fluoridation like Dr Hardy Limeback in Toronto  have long pointed out that any reduced tooth decay touted by promoters could easily be accounted for by the delayed eruption of the teeth  Even when this argument received strong experimental support from Komarek et al in 2005 this has still has been ignored by those promoting fluoridation But they cannot ignore it any longer the figures of the dental department research team most associated with the promotion of fluoridation in Australia and beyond demonstrate that this delay is realLess teeth erupted for any given age would mean less surfaces available for tooth decay to have taken place A delayed eruption of one  two years would account for the small reductions claimed in ALL the US and Australian studies published since 1990 Brunelle and Carlos 1990 Slade et al 1996 Spencer et al 1996 Armfield et al 2009 Armfield 2010 These studies have found reductions ranging from 012 of one permanent tooth surfaces saved in Western Australia Spencer et al 1996 to 06 permanent tooth surface saved in the largest survey ever conducted in the US Brunelle and Carlos 1990 This is not very much when you consider that there are five surfaces to the chewing teeth and four to the cutting teeth and by the time all the childs teeth have erupted there are a total of 128 tooth surfaces One tooth surface saved amounts to less than 1 of all the surfaces in a childs mouth Now even this small benefit has evaporatedMore on the historyIn 1999 the National Health and Medical Research Council Australias peak Medical Research body stated that  evidence exists that tooth eruption is delayed in fluoridated areas It has been suggested that a proper comparison of caries rates should involve children one year older in fluoridated areas than in non fluoridated areasIn 2000 the York Review pointed out that none of the studies that they had reviewed had controlled for quotthe number of erupted teeth per child McDonagh et al 2000 p24In 2005 Komarek et al did control for eruption of teeth and reported no difference in decay between children living in Belgium receiving fluoride supplements and those who werent that was relatable to fluoride exposure as measured by the severity of dental fluorosisIn 2009 Peiris et al reported that children in largely fluoridated Australia had a delay in quotdental agequot of 082 years compared to children in largely unfluoridated UK However the authors did not discuss the possible reasons for this delay and the number of children involved in the study about 80 in each country was not very large2011 Now the bombshell  the delay has been found and it is in the official statistics ARCPOH has failed to respond to several inquiries on this matter According to Haines Surely this must end water fluoridation If it doesnt work whats the point of putting this toxic substance into the drinking water and what reason can they possibly have for forcing it on people who dont want itHowever this isnt just about teeth The finding could be even more significant than that If fluoride causes a delayed eruption of the teeth then the most likely mechanism for doing so is fluorides ability to lower thyroid function see chapter 8 in the 2006 National Research Council review Fluoride in Drinking Water According to Connett Lowered thyroid function in infants would mean slower growth of their tissues and could explain the 24 studies that have found an association between lowered IQ in children and exposure to moderate levels of fluoride in China India Iran and Mexico It also raises the possibility that millions of people in fluoridated countries suffering from hypothyroidism have had this condition caused or exacerbated by exposure to fluoridated water Haines asks If ingesting fluoride delays tooth eruption for 1 to 2 years what other effects is it having on our bodiesMeanwhile if swallowing fluoride does not reduce tooth decay why would any reasonable person decision maker or regulatory official continue to sanction adding fluoride to the public water supply Australian media contacts mobiles  0418 777 112 and 0403029077 Media Release sent by Queenslanders For Safe Water on behalf of Fluoride Action Network Australia Inc65279

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				<title><![CDATA[EU Ban On Mercury Exports Goes Into Effect]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=364&amp;month=3&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					from our Europe correspondent Prof Ulf Bengtssonphasing out mercury in the EUOn 14 March environment ministers reviewed the EUs strategy concerning mercury and adopted conclusions on further steps to be taken to limit and phase out emissions both at EU and international levelThe Council welcomed the significant progress achieved in the last five years since the adoption of the strategy It looks forward to the Commissions investigation into the use of dental amalgam The investigation should include mercuryfree alternatives as well as possibilities for reducing releases from crematoria and dental clinics Mercurycontaining button cell batteries should also be investigated furtherMercury is also to be found in energysaving light bulbs compact fluorescent lamps In September 2010 the maximum mercury content in such lamps permitted in the EU was significantly reduced Ministers stressed the importance of minimising mercury exposure for consumers workers and the environment from mercury containing lampsAs mercury is a global pollutant which can cross international borders coordinated international action is needed The EU must intensify its international efforts to reduce mercury emissions and aim to reach a global phaseout of primary production Mercury is a highly toxic substance to humans animals and ecosystems High doses can be fatal to humans relatively low doses can seriously harm the nervous system It is a pollutant which can move over long distances when released by human activities burning of coal use in thermometers and gold mining for instance It moves through air water sediments soil and the food chain Of special concern is the accumulation of mercury in fish and seafood The sale of fever thermometers and other measuring devices containing mercury is prohibited in the EU It is currently considered to extend this prohibition to other health care equipment Moreover mercury may no longer be used in materials and components of vehicles A ban on EU exports of mercury takes effect on 15 March

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				<title><![CDATA[EPA Proposes New Smokestack Standards for Mercury, 91% Reduction Cited]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=363&amp;month=3&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
from CNN Health March 17 2011Washington CNN  The Environmental Protection Agency 
proposed new national guidelines on Wednesday for mercury and air toxics
 released from power plants The move came in response to a 
courtordered deadline and would require many power plants to install 
pollution control technologies  quotToday were taking an important
 step forward in EPAs efforts to safeguard the health of millions of 
Americansquot EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said at a press conference to
 sign the new order quotUnder the Clean Air Act these standards 
will require American power plants to put in place proven and widely 
available pollution technologies to control and cut harmful emissions 
like mercury arsenic chromium nickel and acid gasesquot Jackson said Jackson said the new standards would quotprevent 91 of mercury in coal from being released in the airquot The
 DC Court of Appeals ordered the EPA to make the rules final by 
November Companies have three years to comply but some could get a 
oneyear extension if the technology cannot be installed in time The
 Power Plant Mercury and Air Toxics Standards are expected to have broad
 health benefits according to the EPA The pollution control methods 
are expected to prevent 17000 premature deaths and 11000 heart 
attacks The EPA said it would also help eliminate 10000 cases of 
childhood asthma  The announcement was hailed by the American Lung Association and several groups of doctors who spoke at the press event A
 group of secondgraders from AmidonBowen Elementary School in 
Washington DC joined EPA Administration Lisa Jackson as she signed 
the new guidelines  Dr Marian Burton the president of the 
American Academy of Pediatrics told the students quotI think you already 
know this rule is for you and for all the children in the America who 
will follow you quotDirty air makes people sick Thats the long 
and short of itquot Burton continued quotIf you think its expensive to put a
 scrubber on a smokestack you should see how much it costs to treat a 
preventable birth defectquot Jackson said the instillation and 
maintenance of the pollution controls would provide jobs as well as 
health benefits quotThese are good laborintensive jobs that cannot be 
shipped overseasquot she said  Jackson emphasized these new 
measures would come at a financial cost for utility companies but said 
it would level the playing field for utility companies once they are all
 operating from the same clean air standard Consumers will see a bump 
in their bills while utility companies put the new technology in place 
she said quotWe estimate impact on utility bills 
that are pretty minor three to four dollars a monthquot Jackson said 
Those costs to companies and consumers she said would be far outweighed 
by the benefits 

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				<title><![CDATA[Will Lethbridge, AB, Follow Calgary Away From Fluoridation?]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=362&amp;month=3&amp;year=2011]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					James Beck MD PhD is one of the leaders of the clean water movement in Canada and coauthor of the recently released The Case Against FluorideThis is meant as a report to interested parties and to those who have advised me on the communityissues meeting of the City Council of Lethbridge Alberta Canada The session of February 28 was devoted to the single issue of fluoridation Lethbridge fluoridates its tap water but concern has risen among residents lately One individual has got city council to invite opponents and proponents and Lethbridge residents to testify The session lasted from 100pm to about 600pm The first hour was given to three opponents of fluoridation Neil Alho Robert Dickson MD and me The second part was given to proponents Peter Cooney dental officer of health of Health Canada Luke Shwart dental officer of health of Alberta Health Services and a public health official of AHS Other individuals were given time to speak after that There were I estimate 80 to 100 people present Lethbridge has a population of 85000 and a city council consisting of the mayor and eight aldermen Bob Dickson and I gave copies of The Case Against Fluoride to members of council Neil Alho spoke of his motivations in opposing fluoridation Bob Dickson gave his reasons as a family physician for opposing fluoridation I divided the problem into considerations of efficacy toxicity and ethicality and spoke of the recent Calgary experience using that as a means to criticize the arguments of AHS and caution council to demand of all of us to give them the evidence by which we have come to our respective conclusions  The presentations of the proponents were standardissue except that the public health official in his support of fluoridation admitted that the imposition of fluoridation was trampling on individual rights or something to that effect More of the testimony of individual Lethbridge citizens was against than was for fluoridation Many of them thanked us the three designated opponents for our efforts We were interviewed by several institutions of radio television and press The council members asked some good questions and seemed to challenge us particularly Cooney and the public health official to back up what we said I came away with the impression that there are already five aldermen opposed to fluoridation and others openminded and thinking about it  Significantly even though these communityissues meetings are not intended for decisionmaking by council a motion to commit council to consider the issue in April was passed by a show of hands of councilors which looked unanimous to me The maker of this motion said his purpose was to assure thatand assure the citizens thatthis session was not the end of it that council will deal with the issue in a short time And the other councilors seemed to concur with that aim   Jim Beck

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				<title><![CDATA[ADA Shaken By Attention to Amalgam at UNEP Mercury Conference]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=361&amp;month=2&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					Efforts by the IAOMT and allied organizations at the recent United Nations Environmental Program UNEP meeting in Chiba Japan are keeping the spotlight on the role of dental amalgam in worldwide commerce in mercury The UNEP is working on a worldwide treaty to ban international trade in mercury and mercury containing products in an effort to reduce global exposure to this hazardous substance They are developing a list of products whose trade will be banned or limited for environmental reasons IAOMT representatives and friends made it clear that dental amalgam should be on that list Now the promercury forces are begging the US State Department to take up their cause at the next meeting to be held in BurkinaFaso later this year as reported in the ADA NewsFebruary 22 2011
                    ADA calls for US leadership on amalgam in international mercury treaty negotiations
                    
                    By Craig Palmer
                    
 
                        
                        

 
                        
                        
                        


                            
        WashingtonThe Association urged US negotiators of
 an international mercury treaty to quotassume a leadership positionquot on 
dental amalgam quotIt is clear now that these negotiations go far beyond 
strictly environmental concernsquot the Association said in a Feb 9 2011
 letter to the US Department of State that follows an Aug 11 2010ADA letter urging negotiators to consider the dental health benefits of amalgam
        The second session of the United Nations Environment 
Programme Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to prepare a global 
legally binding instrument on mercury INC2 was held Jan 2428 in 
Chiba Japan
        quotThank you for your willingness to meet with us in Chibaquot 
ADA representatives told a State Department official in the postChiba 
letter quotNow that we have all returned home we thought it best to 
formally restate the ADA position on the INC negotiations and make 
several specific requests for action by the State Departmentquot
        The Association position quotas we discussed in Chibaquot is basically threefold the letter said
        The Association supports addressing the environmental 
impact from dental amalgam as part of the INC process Pursuant to a 
2010 House of Delegates resolution the ADA has stated publicly that it 
will support a commonsense national separator requirement in the US 
In one of its interventions in Chiba FDI World Dental Federation made
 the same point taking into account any local conditionsAny treaty resulting from the INC negotiations should 
support ongoing and future research into restorative materials as 
effective and safe as dental amalgam At present no such alternative 
exists for all clinical or economic situationsAny treaty resulting from the INC negotiations should 
call for national oral health promotion and oral disease prevention 
programs Prevention will reduce the demand for dental amalgam and other
 restorative materials Prevention is a key premise underlying all 
public health efforts
        quotThis approach will reduce the total amount of mercury used 
in dental amalgam control that mercury still needed and promote the 
public health in all nationsquot the Association said
        quotWhile we appreciate the desire of the US delegation in 
Chiba to listen to the positions of other nations based on the comment 
by the leader of the contact group there is no consensus on this 
important topic For that reason the US needs to stand up and be 
heardquot
        The ADA letter calls for additional public health and oral 
health representation in the US delegation to the treaty negotiations 
and for the US negotiating team to treat amalgam as a public health 
issue
        quotWe are sure you agree that the amount of time and resources 
devoted to the amalgam topic in Chiba far exceeded its environmental 
impactquot the Association said quotThe best way to address this is to deal 
with amalgam separately as a health care product and treatment 
decision
        quotThis issue is too important for the US to wait for action 
by other nations The US should assume a leadership position on this 
topicquot

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				<title><![CDATA[Calgary City Council Votes to End Fluoridation]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=360&amp;month=2&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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2011 is turning out to be a momentous year for those engaged in the effort to stop community water fluoridation For more news see the Feb 9 Fluoride Action Network bulletinfrom the Edmonton JournalCALGARY  After passionate and sometimes rancorous debate Calgary 
city council voted 103 Tuesday to eliminate fluoride from the citys 
drinking water rejecting pleas to send the matter to plebiscite or an 
expert panelThe decision also went against the advice of 
Alberta Health Services which has advocated for fluoride and maintains 
evidence shows it is safe and improves dental health The vote left 
Calgarys chief medical officer quotvery disappointedquotAnd 
one local dentist worries that without added fluoride in the water 
cavities in children will rise in coming years and tooth problems will 
have to be treated more aggressivelyBut the decision did 
thrill a number of antifluoride activists at the meeting who have 
argued the compound should not be forced on peoplequotIts 
been a battlequot said Fay Ash quotIts about freedom its about choice and
 its about people taking ownership of their own health not having it 
imposed on themquotDetractors of fluoride worry it can be a 
health danger doesnt work and say it essentially pushes a medication 
on a population who have no choiceMunicipal council 
member Druh Farrell spearheaded the effort to stop the additive from 
being put in Calgarys water and said it is a matter of ethics She 
points to Europe where fluoride is not in the water but fluoridated 
salt can be purchased insteadquotIts an issue that has been
 debated vociferously around the world for 50 yearsquot said Farrell quotIt 
became an established point of view but now the wisdom of it is being 
questioned around the worldquotThis debate is not just a 
Calgary one Later this month Lethbridge Alta will be hearing from 
the public as they discuss the fluoridation of their waterAnd in Waterloo Ont this fall residents voted by the tiniest of margins to stop adding fluoride to the drinking water thereAbout
 threequarters of Albertas population have fluoridated water compared
 to roughly 45 per cent nationally In British Columbia less than four 
per cent have fluoride in the water according to 2007 Health Canada 
numbersquotFrom what Im hearing already its resonating 
across North America if not the worldquot Farrell told reporters quotCalgary
 is a city of significant size and a lot of cities are going through the
 same discussionquotThere was a push to send the issue to 
plebiscite That how it was decided in 1989 when city voters narrowly 
approved adding fluoride to the water something the city followed 
through with two years laterMunicipal councillor Ray 
Jones who is opposed to fluoride being in the water sought to have the
 issue head to plebiscite He said since the late January public hearing
 on the issue hes received numerous phone calls from people on both 
sides of the issue who want to vote on itquotThey dont feel
 that were the experts either They feel that its their decision to 
make not our decision to makequot Jones saidBut municipal 
council member Jim Stevenson worried that with only 30 or 40 per cent of
 voters actually casting a ballot a relatively small number would 
determine the issue for all Calgarians He also noted votes have been 
very closeThe city will have to apply to Alberta 
Environment to change the city licence for its water treatment plants 
That is a straight forward process given its up to municipalities to 
decide if they want fluoride in the water according to a department 
spokeswomanAlberta Health Services said it will now forge
 ahead with helping council craft alternatives to help improve the 
dental health of poor childrenRead more httpwwwcalgaryheraldcomCalgarycouncilvotesfluoridationmunicipalwater4247383storyhtmlixzz1DR3Jvuws

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				<title><![CDATA[IAOMT Members, Allies, Speak at UN Meeting]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=359&amp;month=1&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					Dr Lillian Lasaten Ebuen President of IAOMTPhillippines and frequent IAOMT speaker Dr Mark Geier both made presentations to the UNEP mercury meeting in Chiba Japan The panel is faced with the question of whether to exempt certain mercury containing products from the draft treaty to ban international commerce in mercury Not surprisingly the official US delegation wants to exempt dental amalgam and vaccines containing thimerosalDr Ebuens full statement is attached In regard to the notion that amalgam is necessary for dental restorations in poor rural populations she saidAPPROPRIATE ALTERNATIVE to AMALGAM for Extreme Rural AreasART Atraumatic Restorative Technique were developed for use in developing countries where access to conventional dental care is limited and no electricity or electrical generators are available The technique involves the use of hand instruments to prepare the carious lesion in primary and adult teeth to remove the caries The tooth is then restored with a clinically proven selfsetting handmixed glass ionomer fillingA number of trials have demonstrated that ART is an effective technique comparing ART with a minimal cavity preparation technique MCP utilizing slowspeed handpieces and steel burs It measured discomfort felt by the patient as assessed by alteration in patient heart rate and a trained observer using a behavioral assessment scale The study demonstrated that ART is an appropriate restorative treatment technique Dental caries is a significant problem across the world It results in significant pain and sepsis for an unacceptably high number of children Unfortunately this problem is compounded by a lack of restorative care Governments in developing countries should consider ART as an appropriate technique because it is comparable to restoration with handpieces and it is the only available optionDr Geier and his colleague Reverend Lisa Sykes made the following statementToday the Coalition for MercuryFree Drugs CoMeDs team of Rev Lisa Sykes Dr Mark Geier David Geier and Anne Geier that is in attendence at the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to prepare a global legally binding instrument on Mercury INC2 Chiba Japan was invited to address the more than 150 member nations of general delegates CoMeD has been officially accredited by the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP to be a participant at this meeting Dr Mark Geier of the Coalition for MercuryFree Drugs CoMeD presented the following testimonyThank you Mr ChairmanWe are gathered in this hall kindly provided by the Japanese government and under the able leadership of UNEP to design a treaty that prevents the continued exposure of the people of the world to mercury which is one of the most dangerous known poisonsI am Dr Mark Geier from the Coalition for Mercuryfree Drugs I hold both an MD and a PhD My specialties include genetics and epidemiology As an American physician I treat 1500 patients who suffer from neurodevelopmental disorders the result of mercurycontaining vaccines Thimerosal half mercury by weight is a form of organic mercury which has been used in vaccines since the 1930sEven though safe and cost effective alternatives such as 2Phenoxyethanol have been in use for nearly 15 years the madness of mercury continues Despite false reassurances from industry and others that mercury is out of the drug supply mercury containing vaccines with as much as 25 micrograms of mercury per dose continue to be manufactured exported and injected particularly into pregnant women and newborn children who are the most vulnerable among usIf this treaty does not clearly ban the intentional administration of mercury in all forms to humans then the citizens of the world will face an impossible dilemma Either they will believe the premise of this treaty that mercury is too poisonous to be allowed in general use in which case they will refuse mercurycontaining vaccines thus needlessly exposing themselves and their children to preventable infectious diseasesOr alternatively they will believe false assurances that the mercury in their mouths medicines and vaccines is indeed safe in which case they will not feel compelled to cooperate with the mandates of this treaty Both of these scenarios are disasters For this treaty to be fully effective it must make clear that the intentional exposure of humans especially pregnant women and young children to mercury will not be toleratedFurthermore in the developed world using Thimerosal even on your skin has been illegal for years It defies logic that Thimerosal which is illegal to put on your skin because it is so toxic should still be permitted to be injected as part of a vaccine The US Public Health Service called for the urgent removal of Thimerosal from vaccines in 1999 While millions of doses of vaccine still contain fulldose Thimerosal finally many vaccines are now available in mercuryfree or mercuryreduced formulations in the United StatesChildren around the world no matter their place of birth or their income level deserve safe mercuryfree vaccines The practice of providing mercuryreduced and mercuryfree vaccines to developed countries while insisting that developing nations take mercurycontaining ones is wrong I want all people and especially all children to have safe mercuryfree vaccines Mercury is an insidious poison and the last place on earth it should be is in a shot intended for a child or a pregnant womanThank you Mr PresidentRespectfully SubmittedDr Mark Geier CoMeD IncMembers of many delegations seemed to be deeply concerned regarding the continued use of Thimerosal in vaccines and many good contacts were made In fact all the members of CoMeD were able to speak with national leaders and even royal family members from developing nations in particular who sought us out due to their concerns for this critical issue we had raised Our only regret is that the alarm expressed by many of these leaders was not in any way echoed in the remarks offered by the US delegation to the plenary on Wednesday when mercuryadded products were discussed Though many developing nations acknowledge that they are unable to police their own borders from mercurycontaining products due to a lack of resources andor expertise the developed nations of the world have reiterated their preference for a positive products list that regulates only some not all of these mercurycontaining products rather than a negative list that would ban all products The Latin American working group offered a strong alternative to the positive list approach as did many other nations Likely the resolution of this discussion will not happen before the next INC meeting to be held in AfricaHopefully leadership to make vaccines safer and mercuryfree will emerge as this UN process continues and we wait and watch for the United States to take responsibility for leading this movement as it is out FDA which continues to assert that Thimerosal is safe for injection Having been that nation which promulgates the use of Thimerosal the United States shoulders the moral burden for its continuing useFor more information about CoMeD and to financially help support CoMeD in its efforts please visit the CoMeD website atwwwmercuryfreedrugsorg

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				<title><![CDATA[Top Bad News Stories On Fluoride in 2010]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=358&amp;month=1&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					It isnt funny but it is funny how long this has to go on compiled by the Fluoride Action NetworkFluoride Compromises Brain FunctionDing Y Gao Y Sun H Han H Wang W Ji X Liu X Sun D 2010 The relationships between low levels of urine fluoride on childrens intelligence dental fluorosis in endemic fluorosis areas in Hulunbuir Inner Mongolia China Journal of Hazardous Materials doi101016jjhazmat201012097Liu YJ Gao Q Wu CX Guan ZZ 2010 Alterations of nAChRs and ERK12 in the brains of rats with chronic fluorosis and their connections with the decreased capacity of learning and memory Toxicology Letters 192 324329 More than 100 animal studies have linked fluoride to brain damage and 24 additional studies in humans have found an association between high levels of fluoride in drinking water and reduced intelligence Ding et al 2010 studied 331 children ages 714 years living in Hulunbuir City China exposed to drinking water with fluoride levels lt3 mgL mean 131105 mgL range 024284 mgL Urine fluoride levels incidence of dental fluorosis diagnosed with Deans Index and intelligence quotient IQ assessed with Combined Ravens Test for Rural China were determined The authors found a dosedependent response between urine fluoride levels and incidence of dental fluorosis Also observed was an inverse association between urine fluoride levels and IQ a 059point decrease in IQ was observed for each 1 mgL increase in urine fluoride Thus low levels of fluoride in drinking water even within the range of levels currently allowed negatively impact childrens intelligence and dental healthChronic exposure to elevated levels of fluoride results in decreased memory and learning ability but the mechanisms underlying these effects are not known To address this issue Liu et al 2010 exposed rats to varying concentrations of fluoride in drinking water for 6 months As expected spatial learning and memory of the rats were significantly reduced in both the low 5 mgL and high 50 mgL fluoride groups when compared to the control group lt05 mgL as determined by increased times of Morris Water Maze tests When compared with controls both the low and high fluoride exposed groups revealed altered expression of several proteins related to cognition in both rats and humans including decreased protein expression for two nicotinic acetylcholine receptors alpha 4 and alpha7 nAChR increased expression for phospho and total ERK12 and phosphoMEK12 and decreased activation rate of phosphoERK12 Rats require water fluoride levels 45 times greater than humans to produce similar blood plasma fluoride levels That these changes were observed in even the low fluoride group of the present study suggests similar alterations may be responsible for the decreased intelligence of children exposed to relatively low water fluoride levels as in Ding et al above CDC reports 41 of 1215 yearolds have dental fluorosisBeltranAguilar ED Barker L Dye BA 2010 Prevalence and severity of dentalfluorosis in the United States 19992004 NCHS data brief no 53 HyattsvilleMD National Center for Health StatisticsDental fluorosis refers to hypomineralization of the teeth producing mottled stained pitted surfaces Dental fluorosis is caused by exposure to systemic ingested fluoride during periods of tooth development The prevalence of dental fluorosis has been increasing in the United States with the concomitant expansion of water fluoridation and the increasing ingestion of fluoride from other sources Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey NHANES between 19992004 were analyzed and were compared with data from the 19861987 National Survey of Oral Health in US School Children Both surveys assessed all permanent teeth using Deans Fluorosis Index Approximately 23 of Americans aged 649 had some definitive form of dental fluorosis between 19992004 and another 17 met the criteria for quotquestionablequot fluorosis status Among adolescents 33 of those aged 611 41 of those aged 1215 and 36 of those aged 1619 had some form of dental fluorosis For adolescents aged 1215 the prevalence of dental fluorosis increased from 23 in 198687 to 41 in 19992004 indicating that a large percentage of the US population is being overexposed to fluoride Increased risk of fluorosis from infant formula reconstituted with fluoridated waterLevy SM Broffitt B Marshall TA EichenbergerGilmore JM Warren JJ 2010 Associations between fluorosis of permanent incisors and fluoride intake from infant formula other dietary sources and dentifrice during early childhood Journal of the American Dental Association 14110 11901201 In the United States the primary source of ingested fluoride is fluoridated water including that used in the preparation of foods and other beverages For many infants formula is a major source of nutrition and this formula is often reconstituted with fluoridated tap water The concentration of fluoride in infant formulas reconstituted with quotoptimallyquot fluoridated water is up to 200 times greater than that found in breast milk The Iowa Fluoride Study IFS as reported in Levy et al 2010 determined fluoride intake of children starting at age 15 months via questionnaires completed by parents and determined incidence and severity of dental fluorosis via dental exams administered when children were about 9 years of age An increased incidence of dental fluorosis of permanent incisors was associated with increased fluoride intakes from reconstituted infant formulas between ages 39 months According to the authors fluorosis was associated with quothigher consumption of powdered concentrate formula and higher fluoride levels in the water used to reconstitute the formulaquot The majority of participants in this study lived in areas with quotoptimallyquot fluoridated water The authors state that formula prepared with quotlowfluoridecontent water would result in much less fluoride ingestion and presumably substantially less or milder dental fluorosisquot Also reported was an increased risk of fluorosis due to higher intake of fluoridated toothpastes between 1636 months At least onequarter of UK population overexposed to fluoride Mansfield P 2010 Fluoride consumption the effect of water fluoridation Fluoride 434 223231 Overconsumption of fluoride is an issue of concern worldwide as fluoride has been linked to adverse health effects such as dental fluorosis reduced thyroid function weakened bones skeletal fluorosis and reduced intelligence Mansfield 2010 reanalyzed data from the 20002003 UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey NDNS Using a revised calculation to estimate fluoride intake ie 45 fluoride excretion rate based on current literature instead of 100 excretion rate as was originally proposed the author found that the original estimate of those exceeding the Safe Intake SI level for fluoride 005 mgkg body weightday as established by the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Food Policy was an order of magnitude too low25 of the UK population is now estimated to exceed the SI for fluoride and nearly twothirds of those living in fully fluoridated areas exceed the SI for fluoride The author concludes that quotfluoridating water pushes the majority of consumers into excessive fluoride intakequot and that small children are more susceptible to the longterm adverse health effects related to overconsumption as they retain more fluoride than adults Fluoride decreases bone strength Chachra D Limeback H Willett TL Grynpas MD 2010 The longterm effects of  water fluoridation on the human skeleton Journal of Dental Research 8911  12191223 Community water fluoridation has long been touted as a safe and effective means to reduce dental caries in a population yet data on the longterm safety of low levels of systemic fluoride exposure on the myriad of body systems are either inconclusive or completely lacking Ingested fluoride is incorporated into the bones suggesting that exposure over a lifetime even to the relatively low levels experienced via fluoridated water may affect the structural or mechanical properties of bone Chachra et al 2010 compared bone specimens from residents of fluoridated Toronto to those of nonfluoridated Montreal with the hypothesis that these populations would reveal patterns consistent with differences in longterm fluoride exposure The fluoride content of bones from the fluoridated area was significantly higher than those from the nonfluoridated area Bone from Toronto residents showed greater mean strain at ultimate compressive stress UCS an indicator of fracture risk and greater energy absorbed to failure than bone from Montreal residents However the authors failed to control for age which was greater for those residents in nonfluoridated Montreal Bones typically weaken with age and thus the effects of a more elderly population in Montreal may have obscured the full effect of fluoride on the Toronto population A more relevant finding is that UCS and yield stress declined with increasing fluoride content of bone indicating that bone strength decreases with increasing bone fluoride level While similar animal studies have been performed this is the first human epidemiological study to utilize such an analysis to study fluoride levels and risk of bone fracture and thus should be seriously considered by public health officials when performing evidencebased risk assessments for fluoride exposures for the whole of the population Fluoride increases serum lead concentrationsSawan RMM Leite GAS Saraiva MCP Barbosa Jr F TanusSantos JE Gerlach RF 2010 Fluoride increases lead concentrations in whole blood and in calcified tissues from leadexposed rats Toxicology 27112 2126Silicofluorides are used in more than 90 of artificially fluoridated water in the United States However an association between silicofluoridetreated community water and increased blood lead concentrations among children has been previously reported Early exposure to lead results in cognitive impairment and lower IQ scores in children Sawan et al 2010 examined the effects of fluoride as fluosilicic acid H2SiF6 containing 100 mgL F coadministered with lead as lead acetate containing 30 mgL Pb on Wistar rats exposed from the beginning of gestation As this was a proofofconcept study high levels of fluoride were administered to maximize the influence of fluoride on lead concentrations After 81 days there were significantly higher blood lead concentrations and two to threefold higher lead concentrations in calcified tissues in the FPb Group compared to the Pb Group Thus a biological effect not yet recognized may underlie the association between water fluoridation and increased blood lead levels observed in children Fluoride disrupts cardiac functionVarol E Akcay S Ersoy IH Koroglu BK Varol S 2010a Impact of chronic fluorosis on left ventricular diastolic and global functions Science of the Total Environment 40811 22952298Varol E Akcay S Ersoy H Ozaydin M Korogly BK Varol S 2010b Aortic elasticity is impaired in patients with endemic fluorosis Biol Trace Elem Res 133 121127Elevated levels of fluoride in the blood lower the availability of calcium to the body which can impair cardiac function In cases of acute fluoride poisoning for example the levels of available calcium can be so low as to cause cardiac arrest Exposure to subacute levels of fluoride may have more subtle effects on the heart Research by Varol et al 2010a found that fluorosis patients had significantly higher urine fluoride levels than controls as expected In addition left ventricular myocardial performance index MPI calculated as isovolumic contraction timeisovolumic relaxation timeaortic ejection time was also significantly higher in fluorosis patients than in matched controls suggesting that patients with endemic fluorosis have left ventricular diastolic and global dysfunctionsA related study by Varol et al 2010b found significantly lower aortic strain AS and aortic distensibility AD but significantly higher aortic strain index ASI in endemic fluorosis patients than in controls indicating that the elastic properties of the ascending aorta are impaired in patients with endemic fluorosis Thus subacute exposures to fluoride may manifest as cardiac dysfunction potentially increasing future risks of cardiacrelated problems Fluoride as a proinflammatory factorGutowska I BaranowskaBosiacha I Baskiewicz M Milo B Siennicka A Marchiewicz M Wiszniewska B Machalinski B Stachowska E 2010 Fluoride as a proinflammatory factor and inhibitor of ATP bioavailability in differentiated human THP1 monocytic cells Toxicology Letters 196 7479Inflammatory reactions underlie the pathogenesis of the atherosclerotic process and oxygen free radicals formed during these reactions contribute to aggravation of atherosclerotic lesions Gutowska et al 2010 incubated differentiated human THP1 monocytic cells macrophages in NaF solution for 48 h at concentrations similar to fluoride concentrations found in human serum 1 3 6 and 10 M Incubation of macrophages in fluoride solutions significantly decreased the amount of synthesized cellular ATP and increased the formation of reactive oxygen species ROS and apoptotic cells in a dosedependent pattern Thus fluoride may be considered proatherogenic and proapoptotic and longterm exposure to low concentrations of fluoride may lead to harmful changes in cellular metabolism

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				<title><![CDATA[UN Mercury Council To Meet in Japan;  Pro-Amalgam Report Withdrawn]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=357&amp;month=1&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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United Nations Urged to Ban Mercury FillingsInternational Delegates Meet in JapanChampions Gate FL January 20 2010Mercury the main ingredient in silver or amalgam fillings will be the subject of a United Nations conference to be held in Chiba Japan on January 2428 Members of various nongovernmental organizations NGOs as well as dentists and scientists from groups such as the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology IAOMT will be attending and urging a ban on products containing mercury including dental amalgam The deliberations serve as the second of five intergovernmental negotiating committee INC meetings planned with the purpose of creating worldwide mercury regulations by 2013 These meetings are the result of an agreement made by the Governing Council of the United Nations Environmental Programme UNEP in 2009 when it was deemed necessary to create global standards addressing risks related to mercury a toxic element phased out of many consumer products but still used in dental amalgam fillings On its website UNEP cites reasons for recognizing the impact of mercury on human health Mercury can produce a range of adverse human health effects including permanent damage to the nervous system in particular the developing nervous systemMercury can be transferred from a mother to her unborn child and infants children and women of child bearing age are considered vulnerable populationsThe IAOMT will be represented by Dr Graeme MunroHall of the UK and by Dr Lillian Lasaten Ebuen of the Philippines who represent a growing number of dentists and scientists from around the globe concerned about the toxic effects of mercury in silver amalgam fillings Dr MunroHall asserts International pressure to rid our world of toxic mercury will hopefully convince the FDA CDC NIH and ADA to acknowledge the perils of placing poison into the mouths of AmericansAttorney Charles Brown President of the World Alliance for MercuryFree Dentistry based in Washington DC made an impact on the first INC meeting in Stockholm last year and will also speak in Chiba In a recent message to the World Health Organization Brown stated UNEP has identified amalgam as one of the five major products contributing to the global mercury problem so action is urgently neededScientific studies substantiating the hazards of mercury fillings will be discussed by various international experts and organizations Research that links autism to fetal exposure from maternal fillings will be provided by Mark Geier MD PhD Data collected by Joachim Mutter MD published last week in the Journal of Occupational Medicine amp Toxicology will also be presented Dr Mutters findings relate mercury fillings to various neurological diseases ranging from Alzheimers to multiple sclerosisAt an FDA Dental Products advisory panel meeting in December it was recommended that FDA consider banning andor issuing stringent warnings for mercury filling use in children pregnant women and an unclassified hypersensitive population Countries such as Sweden Norway and Denmark have already banned the use of mercury in dentistryContact Freya Koss Publicist IAOMT cell 267 2907685 610 6492606 frekossaolcom  Kym Smith IAOMT 863 4206373 infoiaomtorgCharlie Brown reporting from Chiba Japan January 24 2011The WHO has withdrawn the notorious Petersen Paper   a propaganda project of its inhouse dentist to claim that phasing out amalgam is not feasible and that amalgam is a safe productAfter a constructive meeting of many amalgam stakeholders in 2009   where an agreement was reached to quotphase downquot amalgam WHO dentist P E Petersen was assigned to write up the notes Instead Petersen secretly assembled three other promercury dentists all from developed countries and produced a paper denying progress could be made on amalgam and making a series of provably false claims about amalgam and about the progress of that stakeholder meeting After those attending the meeting proved that the Petersen Paper in no way reflected what occurred there   a world uproar ensued led by leaders of the World Alliance for MercuryFree Dentistry The United Nations Environmental Programme UNEP showed great integrity insisting that the Petersen Paper be withdrawn or else all reference to UNEP removed Upon my written request WHOs Assistant DirectorGeneral Dr Ala Alwan agreed to investigate the Petersen Paper and to his credit had the paper withdrawn It is being rewritten and  nota bene my friends  all claims that amalgam is safe are being withdrawn Likewise all participants in the meeting are being asked to comment on the paper before it will be issued again The new report of the stakeholder meeting of 2009 will likely be an honest project and devoid of propaganda favoring Petersen ally the World Dental FederationOur movement for mercuryfree dentistry has achieved a stunning victoryCharlie Brown President World Alliance for MercuryFree DentistryChiba Japan 24 January 2011
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				<title><![CDATA[EPA To Ban Sulfuryl Fluoride Pesticide On Food]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=356&amp;month=1&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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from the Fluoride Action Network January 112011FAN had a stunning victory yesterday This was a wonderful answer to those who believe that the little guy never wins In a 930am conference call with Jonathan Fleuchaus the general counsel of EPAs Pesticides program and 7 other EPA pesticide staff members we were told that EPA was granting ALL our objections to the use of sulfuryl fluoride as a food fumigant Mr Fleuchas told us that it was was the first time in the history of EPA that such objections were granted What this means is that EPA is going to end all uses of sulfuryl fluoride on food ref 1When EPA approved the use of sulfuryl fluoride for the first time for use on food in 2004 it approved the highest levels of fluoride residues in and on food it in its history previous residues had been approved for the use of cryolite Then in 2005 it approved extremely high levels of fluoride in all processed food with an incredible 900 partpermillion residue of fluoride in and on dried eggs ref 2 3 In response to our Objection to this ridiculous unsafe level EPA did quickly remove this tolerance and it was the only quick response they gave usAccording to EPA when sulfuryl fluoride is applied to food or enters the body it breaks down to the fluoride anion It was the fluoride ion that dominated the EPAs risk assessment for this fumigant and also attracted the interest of FANYesterdays conference call was the last step before we were going to take EPA to court for failure to respond to our Objections Our probono lawyer had the papers ready But to our stunned surprise we learned we wonThe procedure that EPA plans to end the use of sulfuryl fluoride on food is to announce it in the Federal Register and then allow 90 days for public comment We expect Dow AgroSciences the proprietary producer of Profume  the name of its food fumigant  to mount some kind of objection but in doing so they will have to demonstrate that children are not being overexposed to fluoride This was the reason that EPA gave for granting our objections EPA plans to phase out the majority of uses on food 90 days after it issues a Final Order and then three years to remove its use on all food commoditiesFAN was extremely fortunate to have gained the support of the Environmental Working Group and Beyond Pesticides two national groups that supported us at every turn in our Objections to EPA and we are very thankful to him We were also incredibly lucky to get the legal services of Perry Wallace a professor of law at American University who worked hard and did a great jobfor us This was the result of a request from the Environmental Working Group to the law firm of Zelle Hofmann Voelbel Mason amp Gette for probono services to represent us in dealing with EPA on this issueIt was the FAN team Michael Connett Chris Neurath Paul amp Ellen Connett who spent hundreds of hours over 9 years on this issueThe issue first arose in 2001 when Dow AgroSciences requested an Experimental Use Permit for sulfuryl fluoride as as firsttime food fumigant on raisins and walnuts FAN submitted comments to EPA in September 2001 on this In 2002 EPA approved Dows Experimental Use permit and that is when FAN submitted its first formal Objections and a Request for a Hearing EPA responded to our Objections two years later when it granted Dows request to use sulfuryl fluoride on several food commodities At this time it said FANs first Objections were moot because DOW never used the Experimental Use Permit FAN with Beyond Pesticides joining us submitted substantive Objections a Request for a Hearing on the new tolerances Then in 2005 EPA approved a massive number of tolerances on ALL processed food We again submitted formal Objections and a Request for Hearing with the Environmental Working Group joining us and Beyond PesticidesWhen the National Research Council of the National Academies published their report on fluoride in March 2006 they said that the Maximum Contaminant Level MCL of 4 ppm of fluoride in drinking water was not protective of health As EPA had based its risk assessments for sulfuryl fluoride solely on the safety of the MCL we petitioned EPA in June 2006 to stay all the tolerances ref 4 EPA then solicited public comments in the Federal Register on our request for a Stay which produced an excellent response from the New York State Attorney Generals Office who agreed with us ref 5 The most egregious actions of EPA during this entire time were the three health risk assessments it produced These assessments were the basis that EPA used for the quotsafequot use of sulfuryl fluoride as a food fumigant and thus its approval In brief EPAs final risk assessment allowed for an infants exposure to fluoride to be ten times higher than that of an adult This is not only contrary to common sense it is contrary to EPAs mandate in the Food Quality and Protection Act that was passed to provide special protections for babies and infants A summary of the gross manipulations and inadequacies of the EPAs three risk assessments are summarized in the book The Case Against Fluoride coauthored by FAN director Paul Connett see chapter 20 pp 209210EPA requested us to consolidate our numerous objections on two occasions and it is our November 2006 submission that gives the most succinct review ref 6In the intervening years we and our lawyer had to respond to several requests from EPA and we went through a mediation effort set up and paid for by EPA Although we entered the mediation process in good faith it was a complete failure But any illfeelings this spinning of wheels generated have been swept away by the incredible events of yesterday Now we can concentrate on getting the EPA water division to do an honest job on determining a new MCLG and in so doing end fluoridation once and for allNOTE Cryolite is another pesticide of concern that EPA allows a residue of 7 ppm fluoride in and on several foods including citrus fruits berries vegetables and US wine see list in ref 7 The ways one can avoid this added fluoride exposure is to buy organic or grow your ownPaul Connett DirectorFluoride Action NetworkhttpfluoridealertorgReferences1 EPAs announcement of January 10 2011httpwwwepagovpesticidessulfurylfluorideevaluationshtml2 FAN issued a press release on Sept 21 2005 that statedThe groups noted that 900 ppm set for dried eggs is extremely close to the amount used in toothpaste 1000 ppm a level that is considered toxic if consumed in greater than pea sized portions quotHow can the EPA consider 900 ppm in eggs safe while the Food and Drug Administration directs parents to call poison control centers if their children consume more than a pea sized portion of toothpaste with fluoride at 1000 ppmquot asked Paul Connett PhD Executive Director of FAN quotUnlike toothpaste eggs are meant to be eaten not spit outquot3 List of all foods with fluoride pesticide residue tolerances athttpwwwfluoridealertorgpesticidesfluoridetolsjuly2005html4 Petition to Stay Tolerances June 2006 httpwwwfluoridealertorgpesticidessfpetitionjune2006pdf5 Response from the NY State Attorney Generals Office on stay httpwwwfluoridealertorgnyagsfpdf6 November 2006 Consolidated Objections on sulfuryl fluoride submitted to EPA httpwwwfluoridealertorgsfnov2006pdf7 Cryolite is used on Apricot Blackberry Blueberry Boysenberry Brocoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Collards Cranberry Cucumber Dewberry Eggplant Citrus fruits Grape Kale Kohlrabi Lettuce Loganberry Melon Nectarine Peach Pepper Plum fresh prune Pumpkin Raspberry Squash winter amp summer Strawberry Tomato Youngberry See alsohttpwwwfluoridealertorgpesticidesfluoridetolsjuly2005html 
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				<title><![CDATA[HHS Hedges on New Fluoride Recommendation]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=355&amp;month=1&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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					In an obvious attempt to split hairs and hang on to the myth that water fluoridation is safe and effective the Department of Health and Human Services today announced a new finely shaved recommendation for fluoride levels in drinking water The previous recommendation was for 0712 milligrams per liter Now to reduce the likelihood of dental fluorosis they are recommending a strict 07 milligrams per liter This bears no resemblance to normal marginofsafety practice in the light of the 2006 National Research Council report that cast doubt on the EPAs maximum safe limit of 40 milligrams per liter How about zeroNews ReleaseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFriday January 7 2011Contact OASH ashmediahhsgov 2022050143EPA isajalilepagov or 2025643226HHS and EPA announce new scientific assessments and actions on fluorideAgencies working together to maintain benefits of preventing tooth decaywhile preventing excessive exposureWASHINGTON
  The US Department of Health and Human Services HHS and the US 
Environmental Protection Agency EPA today are announcing important 
steps to ensure that standards and guidelines on fluoride in drinking 
water continue to provide the maximum protection to the American people 
to support good dental health especially in children HHS is proposing 
that the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water can be set at 
the lowest end of the current optimal range to prevent tooth decay and 
EPA is initiating review of the maximum amount of fluoride allowed in 
drinking waterThese actions will maximize the health benefits of
 water fluoridation an important tool in the prevention of tooth decay 
while reducing the possibility of children receiving too much fluoride 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named the fluoridation of
 drinking water one of the ten great public health achievements of the 
20th centuryOne of water fluoridations biggest advantages is 
that it benefits all residents of a communityat home work school or 
play said HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Howard K Koh MD MPH 
Todays announcement is part of our ongoing support of appropriate 
fluoridation for community water systems and its effectiveness in 
preventing tooth decay throughout ones lifetimeToday both 
HHS and EPA are making announcements on fluoride based on the most up to
 date scientific data said EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office 
of Water Peter Silva EPAs new analysis will help us make sure that 
people benefit from tooth decay prevention while at the same time 
avoiding the unwanted health effects from too much fluorideHHS
 and EPA reached an understanding of the latest science on fluoride and 
its effect on tooth decay prevention and the development of dental 
fluorosis that may occur with excess fluoride consumption during the 
tooth forming years age 8 and younger Dental fluorosis in the United 
States appears mostly in the very mild or mild form  as barely visible 
lacy white markings or spots on the enamel The severe form of dental 
fluorosis with staining and pitting of the tooth surface is rare in 
the United StatesThere are several reasons for the changes seen 
over time including that Americans have access to more sources of 
fluoride than they did when water fluoridation was first introduced in 
the United States in the 1940s Water is now one of several sources of 
fluoride Other common sources include dental products such as 
toothpaste and mouth rinses prescription fluoride supplements and 
fluoride applied by dental professionals Water fluoridation and 
fluoride toothpaste are largely responsible for the significant decline 
in tooth decay in the US over the past several decadesHHS 
proposed recommendation of 07 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water
 replaces the current recommended range of 07 to 12 milligrams This 
updated recommendation is based on recent EPA and HHS scientific 
assessments to balance the benefits of preventing tooth decay while 
limiting any unwanted health effects These scientific assessments will 
also guide EPA in making a determination of whether to lower the maximum
 amount of fluoride allowed in drinking water which is set to prevent 
adverse health effectsThe new EPA assessments of fluoride were 
undertaken in response to findings of the National Academies of Science 
NAS At EPAs request in 2006 NAS reviewed new data on fluoride and 
issued a report recommending that EPA update its health and exposure 
assessments to take into account bone and dental effects and to consider
 all sources of fluoride In addition to EPAs new assessments and the 
NAS report HHS also considered current levels of tooth decay and dental
 fluorosis and fluid consumption across the United StatesThe 
notice of the proposed recommendation will be published in the Federal 
Register soon and HHS will accept comments from the public and 
stakeholders on the proposed recommendation for 30 days at CWFcommentscdcgov
 HHS is expecting to publish final guidance for community water 
fluoridation by spring 2011 You may view a prepublication version of 
the proposed recommendation at  httpwwwhhsgovnewspress2011pres01prepubfrnfluoridehtml Comments regarding the EPA documents Fluoride DoseResponse Analysis For Noncancer Effects and Fluoride Exposure and Relative Source Contribution Analysis should be sent to EPA at FluorideScienceepagov The documents can be found at httpwaterepagovactionadvisoriesdrinkingfluorideindexcfmFor
 more information about community water fluoridation as well as 
information for health care providers and individuals on how to prevent 
tooth decay and reduce the chance of children developing dental 
fluorosis visit httpwwwcdcgovfluoridation For information about the national drinking water regulations for fluoride visit httpwaterepagovdrinkcontaminantsbasicinformationfluoridecfmNote All HHS press releases fact sheets and other press materials are available at httpwwwhhsgovnewsLast revised January 07 2011

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				<title><![CDATA[NYC Councilman Stirs Controversy With Move To End Fluoridation]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=354&amp;month=1&amp;year=2011]]></link>
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Compiled from Fluoride Action Network December 29 2010Four decades after New York

 started adding fluoride to its water a city councilman armed with new research is launching a campaign to stop the practice







quotThis amounts to forced medication by the governmentquot said 

Councilman Peter Vallone DQueens who plans to introduce fluorideremoval legislation at the next 
Council meeting quotWhats next They decide were depressed and add Prozac

 to our drinking waterquot Before the ink was dry on the December 28th report in the New York Daily News that Councilor Vallone was going to try to get fluoride out of New York Citys water  and before any of them had done even a moderate amount of research on the matter  two blogs and an editorial in the Daily News proceeded to mock Vallone with all the vitriol they could musterThe editorial in The Daily News Dec 29 titled Councilman Peter Vallone defends our precious bodily fluids from evils of fluoridated water A blog in the Village Voice Dec 28 titled Peter Vallone FluorideHating Councilman Wants Your Teeth to Rot by Sergio Hernandez And in the online Gothamist the news story titled Vallone Fluoride Out To Sap Our Precious Bodily Fluids Dec 28The media offensive on Vallone was swiftly followed by the American Council on Science and Health ACSH Baloney from Vallone NYC Councilman leads the fight against water fluoridation  and healthy teeth and bones  FAN is always pleased when the ACSH makes itself visible on fluoridation because it is a largely industryfunded group that has never found an industrial chemical it didnt like Their support hurts not helps the profluoridation causeBut Vallone is not going to be bullied by either the media or the ASCH In a letter Jan 1 published in the New York Daily News he wrote the following response to one of those illinformed editorialsVallone Better safe than sorryAstoria Re quotSomething in the waterquot editorial Dec 29 There is a growing body of evidence that fluoride does more harm than good One need only do a modicum of research to find many antifluoride studies Most recently a study published by the National Institute of Environmental Health linked fluoride in water  at levels below what the EPA considers safe  to lower IQ in childrenWhile four out of five dentists may be enough to pick a gum all five should agree before we forcemedicate the publicWhile all toxic substances have safe levels common sense dictates that it is impossible to monitor fluoride intake when it is in almost everything we eat and drink Even the Centers for Disease Control have acknowledged that any benefits from fluoride are topical And the fluoride toothpastes you reference are not meant to be swallowed largely because of the fluorideBefore you fit me for a tinfoil hat you should pick up a few extra rolls of foil for most of Western Europe which has discontinued fluoridation or never started it and for the many doctors and scientists who support my positionIts time for an intelligent discussion to be had on this controversial practice a discussion that does not involve conspiracy theories After that occurs I believe most people will support the precautionary principle which says If in doubt leave it outCouncilman Peter F Vallone Jr pvallonejrcouncilnycgov

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				<title><![CDATA[Strong Showing for IAOMT at FDA Advisory Panel Meeting]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=353&amp;month=12&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					Strong Showing for IAOMT at FDA Advisory Panel MeetingGaithersburg MD December 15 2010  After having scored the historic coup of convincing the Food and Drug Administration to reconsider its 2009 rule that declared mercury amalgam safe the petitioners led by a strong contingent from IAOMT presented an expert panel with extensive testimony about the hazards of dental mercury As was the case at the 2006 meeting the scientific and clinical presentations were supported by compelling personal stories of illness and recovery from victims of amalgam toxicity Of course there were several representatives of organized dentistry who vigorously expressed confidence in the safety of amalgam but they presented no new science The press coverage was unprecedented Brian Williams and Katie Couric each broadcast two minute stories with interviews of Freya Koss Karen Palmer and Dr Mark Breiner Many print and internet outlets picked it up too including the New York Times Wall Street Journal LA Times Washington Post and CNNcom IAOMT emerges from this meeting as a heavyweight player in the process The world is getting to know who we areThe centerpiece of the discussion was the new two part risk assessment document organized by IAOMT and written by G Mark Richardson et al It had a tremendous impact on the panelists and speakers who spent much of their time grappling with the implication that counting currently recognized exposure limits as many as 67 million Americans are getting too much mercury from their amalgam fillings If the reference dose is lowered as Richardson recommends the number of overexposed people could be as many as 122 millionThe panel was composed of dentists medical doctors toxicologists a consumer and an industry representative and six senior dental school professors deans and former deans There was no predetermined question for them to vote on as there was in 2006 Rather they were asked to advise the FDA staff present with consensus answers to several questions related to risk assessment  adequacy and relevance of exposure estimates reference doses effect levels etc The primary conclusion was that the information available from research is still not adequate to conclusively determine risk and that a more extensive search of recent literature is needed Apparently much more is known about lead and methyl mercury than elemental mercury exposureThe dilemma of defining susceptible subpopulations took some debate Consideration for children under six years old morphed into concern for the prepubertal age group People with genetic predisposition to retention toxicity did not get the attention they deserve due to a lack of immediately relevant scientific literature The FDA staff is expected to take as much as six months to propose any changes to the rule Several panelists suggested that they be more transparent about their deliberative process than last time Well see Speaking for the petitioners at the meeting were attorney Jim Love Drs Mark Richardson David Kennedy Anne Summers David and Mark Geier and Boyd Haley IAOMT members who attended and spoke for themselves were Jack Kall Mike Jackson Pentte Nuponnen Janet Stopka Michael Margolis Louis Steinberg John Rowe Wayne King Andrea Brockman Steve Marcus Bob Reeves and Steve Koral President Matt Young who could not attend sent a letter read to the panel by Jack Kall Charlie Brown and Sylvia Dove spoke for Consumers for Dental ChoiceImpassioned testimony of personal history and outrage was given by Freya Koss Marie Flowers Carol Ward Jessica Kerger Karen Palmer Dorice Madronero Katina Minney Robert Cartland and several others The late president of Consumers for Dental Choice Sandy Duffy was honored by her many friends at a memorial dinner

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				<title><![CDATA[IAOMT Members Lead the Way to FDA Hearings]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=352&amp;month=12&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					Good press coverage from the Louisville Kentucky Courier JournalhttpwwwcourierjournalcomappspbcsdllarticleAID2010312020004Mercury fillings argument resurfaces
Kentuckians help spur FDA to revisit toxicity concerns

	By Laura Ungar   lungarcourierjournalcom
 December 5 2010

ageIf you have socalled silver fillings  and many of us do  youve got mercury in your mouth   The
 dental establishment and many health experts say its perfectly safe 
But some consumers and scientists argue the mercury can contribute to a 
host of health problems from  autoimmune diseases to AlzheimersAfter
 receiving four citizen petitions the US Food and Drug Administration
 plans to take up the issue at a meeting of the dentalproducts panel of
 its medical devices advisory committee Dec 1415 in MarylandAt
 least four Kentuckians plan to attend dental patient Holly Hruska of 
Frankfort Boyd Haley professor emeritus of chemistry at the University
 of Kentucky Lexington attorney Robert Reeves cocounsel for one of 
the petitioners the International Academy of Oral Medicine and 
Toxicology and Dr Jack Kall a Louisville dentist and chairman of the 
academys board of directorsclick for the whole article

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				<title><![CDATA[FDA Accused of 'Rigging' Advisory Panel to Favor Amalgam]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=351&amp;month=12&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
Two articles from FDA Webview
FDA Accused of Rigging Advisory Panel to Favor Amalgamby Jim Dickinson December 7 2010FDA is frequently accused of stacking advisory committees to maximize the chances that they will vote the way agency staffers want them to FDA rarely dignifies such complaints with a response So it is again with next weeks 121415 meeting of CDRHs Dental Products Panel Two petitions the meeting will discuss accuse the mercury in amalgam of being a cause of Alzheimers Disease multiple sclerosis and other hardtostudy diseases affecting human fetuses and infants through maternal blood and milk FDA found amalgam safe and effective in a controversial rulemaking 809 provoking the two petitions one of which trashed the caliber of FDA science The American Dental Association whose membership stands to face professional liability lawsuits if FDA condemns amalgams safety thanked FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg for the rule and reportedly has two members on next weeks advisory panelConsumers for Dental Choice national counsel Charlie Brown told FDA Webview 126 the meeting represents another way for FDA to pretend mercury fillings never hurt anyone In an email message he said FDA is limiting public testimony at the meeting to three minutes Some people are begging for more time while others are canceling their trips These are people who are intent on telling the scientific panel how mercury from amalgam has had devastating impact on them and their familiesFDA originally discouraged testimony by telling everyone who asked 1 we may have a lottery and 2 no one will be told until early December For the average American who can get to Washington only on cheap airline tickets and by making plans far in advance the combination of the lottery threat and the very late answer they could have done rolling acceptances instead discouraged testimonyNow FDA says You get three minutes That should mean under the FDA original plan of two fourhour periods of public testimony that 160 people asked to testify I smell a rat I believe FDA condensed the time for public testimony  in order to invoke its cruel threeminute limit Certainly FDA knows this limit means many people will cancel when they are told their big trip to Washington  those not already deterred by the lottery letterFDA is declining to release the attendance list before the meeting or to say how many speakers there will be Press officer Karen Riley would say only that threeminute limits are not uncommonIn an 1115 email to CDRH advisory committee designated federal officer Olga Claudio Pennsylvania Coalition for MercuryFree Dentistry founder and president Freya Koss gave one example of why she wanted to know in advance if all intending public presenters at the meeting would be both allowed to speak and given more than three minutes to tell their storiesHer star witness against amalgam Koss wrote was one Linda Brocato who resides in Chicago and has been in a wheelchair for more than 20 years because she developed multiple sclerosis and lost the use of her legs due to mercury toxicity from her fillings She must make travel arrangements for herself and an aide to accompany her Despite the fact that she wrote to you explaining her disability and told you of her situation you apparently responded by informing her that she would have to wait until November 29 to learn whether she would be able to speak or not in spite of her condition No consideration whatsoever was given to Linda The longer she waits the higher the airfares It would seem that FDA would consider Lindas disability and hardship and accommodate her You might be interested in reading a recent news articles about Linda You can see she is extremely disabled but very capable of speaking her mind about whats right and wrongClaudio stiffly responded two days laterDear Koss As indicated in the meeting announcement for the Dental Products Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee 75 FR 33315 interested persons have until November 29 2010 to notify FDA of their interest to speak during the open public hearing The number of requests that FDA has received is therefore subject to change until November 29 2010 Bolding in original FDA will notify interested persons regarding their request to speak as soon as possible after the November 29 2010 deadline but no later than December 1 2010 as stated in the FR noticeJim Dickinson EditorFDA Webview amp FDA Review wwwfdawebcom 



Amid Evasions FDA Dumps 28 Amalgam Documents on Web12102010Report by Jim Dickinson Parrying media questions seeking more transparency on its 121415 advisory committee hearing on mercury amalgam safety FDA 1210 dumped 28 briefing documents totaling more than 407 pages on its Web site raising protests that this was too much to digest in too short a time two working days plus the weekend Alert to suspicions that the agencys mind is already made up in favor of keeping its controversial amalgamissafe rule some reporters wanted to examine how hearing organizers were dividing up the time between public speakers and panel members but the agency refused even to say how many public speakers had registeredIn one scenario information about speakers was being withheld to allow promercury FDAers to manipulate the list so that antimercury speakers wouldnt overwhelm the public testimony and sway the panel However at an embargoed press briefing 129 press officer Karen Riley said the panel would not be asked to vote on any of the questions FDA was asking  simply to provide deliberative consultation In another scenario FDAs continuing defense of its rule is allegedly part of a conspiracy it has informally with the American Dental Association that wishes to shield its members from millions of dollars of product and professional liability lawsuits should the agency decide amalgam is too unsafe to remain in Class II FDA spokespersons refused to discuss thisThe 28 documents displayed 1210 but evidently sent to the panel 1122 trended antimercury amalgam with defensive proamalgam documents relying on data gaps and what was not known especially in the case of risks to developing children under 6 and fetuses exposed through placental blood and mothers milkIn an 1122 memorandum to the panel FDA said it is seeking the panels input on the science underlying FDAs 2009 rule and the merits of the scientific arguments raised in the petitions Specifically FDA would like the panel to consider questions concerning the level of exposure to mercury from dental amalgams the appropriate Reference Exposure Level to use in assessing the risk from dental amalgams and what conclusions can be drawn from the body of clinical studies on dental amalgam This information together the findings of the experts asked to conduct homework assignments and the scientific literature relevant to the risks and benefits of dental amalgam will be used by FDA in evaluating the 2009 rule and determining whether any changes to FDAs regulatory approach are warrantedFDAs 16page 2009 analysis of amalgams risks required under the National Environmental Policy Act NEPA rested primarily on what could not be demonstrated in various studies and drew speculative safety conclusions from those gaps Very limited to no clinical information is available regarding longterm health outcomes in pregnant women and their developing fetuses and children under the age of six including infants who are breastfed this analysis saidFor next weeks hearing FDA asked three outside experts to submit homework responses to questions it sent them and their work amplified the whats not known dilemma In a 1027 document Connecticut Department of Public Health toxicologist Gary Ginsberg reviewed a 1995 EPA meta analysis on environmental mercury exposures relied upon by FDAThe lack of dose response assessment leaves one not knowing whether there is in fact a threshold where the threshold lies and how variable the threshold would be across the population he wrote  Thus the LOAEL Lowest Observed Adverse Effects Level to NOAEL Non Observed Adverse Effects Level uncertainty factor is buried within the intrahuman uncertainty factor without explicit treatment of the fact Colorado State University vice president of research William H Farland wrote I am not aware of nor could I find information on any substances with known interactions with mercury vapor exposures that are likely to be associated with the dental workplace  Ultimately one would like to understand the main pathways of toxic action for mercury vapor and for other toxicants to determine if common pathway impacts could manifest themselves as synergistic responses This information is not currently availableFarland upped the ante against amalgam a little when he suggested a best estimate for the range of daily intake absorbed dose of mercury vapor from dental amalgams in the US population to be 175 mcgday 50 more than HHS 1993 estimate of 15 mcg cited in FDAs rule preambleTo FDAs question Would new riskassessment approaches like those proposed by the National Academy of Science last year improve understanding of any health risks associated with exposure of patients to dental amalgam Why or why not Farland answeredIt is impossible to say but I believe we can do a better job in characterizing exposure from this source understanding potential susceptible segments of the exposed population and understanding the riskbenefit tradeoffs that come with the use of dental amalgamsUniversity of Kentucky pharmaceutical science professor Robert A Yokel answered another question more firmly in amalgams favor  How far above the RELs should one expect there to be subclinical or clinical adverse health consequences especially in the context of dental amalgam mercury vapor exposureI interpret this to refer to the EPA RfC In that context based on 10 mcg mcgm3 from references 34 54 amp 73 from ACGIH MERCURY All forms except alkyl document and the Ngim et al study  30foldPetitioners representatives continued the antimercury drumbeat in the documents FDA posted Attorney James S Turners brief for petitioners Citizens for Health says Far from educating consumers FDAs 2009 rule fails to even recognize the basic human right of each individual to make their own informed medical decisions about their own bodies Again and again the rule refers to a dentists decision concerning the use of a particular restorative material and dentists making treatment decisions for their patients Any dentist who makes treatment decisions for a consumer commits a human rights violation  apparently with FDAs approvalSkepticism of FDAs bona fides in next weeks hearing and beyond showed itself in University of Virginia Health Systems professor emeritus Richard F Edlichs petition seeking a ban on mercury amalgam called for CDRH reorganization to improve its decisionmaking process giving as his reason the failure of his effort in 908 to get the Center to ban cornstarch powder on medical clovesquot Since the submission of this petition CDRH Office of Communication Education and Radiation Programs regulatory counsel Parambir S Gadiock  and I have not found one single article that indicates that cornstarch on medical gloves is safe On September 3 2010 I was notified by CDRH director Jeffrey Shuren  that the committee meeting about our petition has made a final decision He told me that he could not disclose this decision or the timeline for implementation He further indicated that I should not contact or have telephone conference calls with any members of the FDA Its important to point out that Germany and the United Kingdom banned cornstarch on medical gloves more than ten years ago I am deeply concerned that the Center  will replicate their decision making process with the dangerous silver Hg amalgam and the liquid Hg in a bottleFDA nontransparency continued when Shuren declined to answer FDA Webviews questions about the truthfulness of Edlichs account of their conversation referring us to press officer Riley who evasively answered on Shurens behalf The FDA is considering Dr Edlichs request and expects to issue further guidance related to powdered gloves in the near futureWithout again answering our question about the number of registered speakers Riley sent us this email about our transparency concerns As we explained in great detail yesterday people who have scheduled to appear for the open public meeting are private citizens We cannot disclose their names in advance or we risk violating federal privacy laws Second we have scheduled FOUR hours of public hearing We did not pick and choose public speakers We did not have to use a lottery We are taking all who asked to speak As you can see Richardson himself is scheduled to present his study Finally the Alzheimers study was just published in midNovember Too late to be the topic of a full consideration before this panelThe question mark after violating federal privacy laws is apt since the people concerned had all volunteered to speak in public and presumably all knew they would be publicly identified As for the Alzheimers study linking that disease to mercury amalgam it appeared at the same time as the Richardson study a full month before the panel meetingNotwithstanding attorney general Eric Holders 31909 governmentwide memo that there must be a presumption of openness and that agencies should not withhold information simply because they may legally do so FDAs penchant for secrecy and concealment is stronger than ever Jim Dickinson is editor of FDA Webview


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				<title><![CDATA[FDA Panel to Weigh Health Risk of Dental Amalgam Again]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=350&amp;month=12&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
FDA Panel to Weigh Health Risk of Dental Amalgam AgainhttpwwwmedscapecommedscapetodayDecember 7 2010  An advisory panel of the US Food and Drug Administration FDA next week will weigh a study claiming that 67 million Americans with mercurybased dental fillings are exposed to mercury levels exceeding those considered safe by the US Environmental Protection Agency EPAThe study commissioned by an organization committed to mercuryfree dentistry also calls the EPAs safety threshold too high It estimates that 122 million Americans with such fillings would be exposed to unsafe levels of mercury based on what it calls a more realistic threshold used by the California Environmental Protection AgencyThe advisory panel hearing scheduled for December 14 and 15 promises to be another skirmish in this countrys ongoing scientific war over the health risk of mercurybased cavity fillings  known as dental amalgam  that dates back to the mid19th century when it divided the dental profession Declining dramatically in use during the last several decades dental amalgam accounts for roughly 30 of all fillings as alternate materials have gained popularity according to the American Dental Association ADA Nevertheless the traditional filling still sparks controversy Opponents blame it for causing the likes of autism schizophrenia and Alzheimers diseaseSilvercolored dental amalgam is composed of roughly 40 to 50 elemental metallic mercury as opposed to the organic mercury compounds found in fish or inorganic mercury compounds such as those used in batteries The other ingredients of dental amalgam are silver zinc copper and tinElemental mercury releases mercury vapor that at high levels can damage the brain and kidneys according to the FDA However the agency has maintained that dental amalgam is safe for filling cavities for adults and children aged 6 years and older The ADA agrees noting that combining mercury with other amalgam metals renders it stable and nontoxicA number of consumer and dental organizations do not share these views however and instead advocate banning dental amalgam as Sweden Norway and Denmark have done Even the FDA recently has tightened its controls over the material which comes under the agencys regulatory oversight as a medical device In July 2009 the agency bumped up its classification of dental amalgam from a lowerrisk class II device to a moderaterisk class II device That reclassification entailed label recommendations such as what dentists should tell patients about amalgam benefits and risks including the risk of inhaling mercury vaporAmong other things the prescribed message states that quotthe developing neurological systems in fetuses and young children may be more sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of mercury vaporquot although clinical information is scarce as to the longterm health outcomes The agency has concluded that infants are not at risk if they are breastfed by women exposed to mercury vapors from dental amalgamAmalgam opponents have petitioned the FDA to revisit its 2009 decision which led to the scheduling of next weeks hearing The agency states that the dental products panel part of its medical device advisory committee will focus particularly on potential risks to pregnant women fetuses and young children Issues that may come before the panel include the biocumulative effect of mercury and the adequacy of past clinical studies on dental amalgamThe hearing next week raises the stakes for the product considering how opponents have asked the agency to either ban it or classify it as a class III device  one that poses the highest risk to patients The FDA has stated that class III designation probably would spell the demise of dental amalgam because manufacturers would likely pull their products from their market instead of going through the time and expense of obtaining FDA premarket approval as is required for class III devices In essence the premarket approval process would force them to prove that dental amalgam is safeThe FDA can either accept or reject any recommendations that the dental advisory panel issues on the basis of its hearing next weekGroup Commissioning Study Advocates Removal of Amalgam FillingsThe fireworks at the hearing next week will likely be supplied by a study commissioned by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology one of several parties petitioning for the new FDA review Based in ChampionsGate Florida the academy not only promotes mercuryfree dentistry but also advocates that patients with amalgam fillings have them removedThe group that conducted the study is the environmental division of a large publicly traded engineering and construction firm in Ottawa Canada called SNCLavalin The lead author G Mark Richardson PhD has previously authored similar studies for Health Canada the Canadian equivalent of the US Department of Health and Human Services That agency states that although dental amalgam generally does not pose a health threat the primary teeth of children should be filled with a nonmercury material when appropriate In addition people with mercury allergies pregnant women and those with impaired kidney function should avoid mercurybased fillings according to Health CanadaDr Richardsons SNCLavalin study estimates mercury exposure for 5 different age groups ranging from toddlers to seniors Four different exposure scenarios are set forward The highestexposure scenario assumes that all restored tooth surfaces are composed of dental amalgam the lowestexposure scenario assumes that 30 of persons with filled teeth have no amalgam and the rest have amalgam in only half their fillings other than nonamalgam crownsUsing the lowestexposure scenario Dr Richardson estimates that because of the mercury vapor they inhale from dentalamalgam fillings 672 million Americans exceed the mercury dose extrapolated from the reference exposure level REL of 03 gm3 set by the US EPA However Dr Richardson writes that this REL is too high because the EPA based its math on studies of socalled chloralkali workers who make chlorine and caustic soda from brine solutions in a mercurybased process For them mercury toxicity would be reduced by simultaneous exposure to chlorine gasThese chloralkaliworker studies also guided the California EPA in calculating its REL for elemental mercury although its REL is 10 times lower at 003 gm3 Dr Richardson estimates that 1223 million Americans with dental amalgam are exposed to mercury levels above this more conservative safety threshold He notes that the REL set by Health Canada of 006 gm3 reflects studies of mercury exposure free of concomitant chlorinegas exposure making them more reliableAccording to the FDA a dose that exceeds the REL set by the US EPA quotdoes not necessarily mean that any adverse effect will occurquotAnother recent study about mercury risk that the advisory panel may consider was published in the November issue of the Journal of Alzheimers Disease That study concludes that inorganic mercury which the authors define as including elemental mercury may be a cofactor in the development of Alzheimers disease The study a metaanalysis of 106 other studies recommended quotthe removal of mercury from public and ecologic circuits and replacing it wherever possible by less toxic alternativesquotFDA Must Consider Possible FallOut of Ban Says ADAThe ADA has entered the latest fray over mercury and dental fillings stating in comments filed with the FDA that quotthe best scientific evidence continues to support the safety of dental amalgamquot No new research it contends has emerged to warrant new regulatory action since the FDA reclassification of dental amalgam last year Meanwhile the association faults amalgam opponents for citing research articles that are not peer reviewed or compliant with clinical trial standards or else focused quotsolely on subclinical effects at the cellular levelquotTo bolster its case the ADA referred to a report recently published by the World Health Organization that described dental amalgams track record for safety in Europe and the United States However that report titled quotFuture Use of Materials for Dental Restorationquot smacks of faint praise stating that quotdental amalgam remains a dental restorative material of choice in the absence of an ideal alternativequot The report also recommends that the dental profession help identify safe and affordable substitutes as the use of amalgam is quotphased downquot A complete ban the report states quotmay not be realistic practicable and achievablequotThe ADA raises similar points in its own defense of dental amalgam quotAt present there is no direct restorative material that works as well as amalgam for large fillings in the back teeth in very deep fillings or in fillings below the gum linequot the association states in its FDA filing Furthermore current alternatives to amalgam cost more meaning that a full or partial ban on the material would drive up the cost of dental restorations and price some individuals out of treatmentquotAny rational risk assessment must account for this side of the equation the cost of regulationquot the ADA statesAuthors and DisclosuresJournalistRobert LowesFreelance writer St Louis MissouriDisclosure Robert L Lowes has disclosed no relevant financial relationshipsThis email is sent to skoraldmdsugarloafnet from the IAOMT as part of your membership

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				<title><![CDATA[Sweden Presses EU for More Extensive Measures Against Mercury Use]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=349&amp;month=12&amp;year=2010]]></link>
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					Sweden presses EU for more extensive measures against mercury usehttpwwwswedengovsesbd12872a154034Press release 18 October 2010Ministry of the EnvironmentSweden is demanding that the EU take further action against the use of mercury Minister for the Environment Andreas Carlgren raised the issue at the Environment Council meeting in Luxembourg on Thursday The EU Mercury Strategy is currently being reviewed and the Commission is to present a communication by the end of the yearquotSweden has banned the use of mercury and EU leadership is now needed in the negotiations on a global mercury convention that began in Stockholm in June The review of the EU Mercury Strategy now being undertaken by the Commission must lead to further measuresquot says Mr CarlgrenAt the Council meeting Swedens initiative received the support of Denmark and the Czech Republic among others The Commission announced that it would present proposals in connection with the Environment Council meeting shortly before ChristmasquotMercury is both an environmental and health hazard and although Sweden has come a very long way in its efforts to phase out mercury use and has introduced a ban more measures are needed in the EU for example with regard to batteries and dental amalgamquot says Mr Carlgren ContactLennart BodnPress Secretary to Andreas Carlgrencell 46 70 950 22 45email to Lennart Bodn via the Senior registry clerk

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				<title><![CDATA[Two New Studies on Amalgam Hazards Heat Up the Runup to FDA Meeting]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=348&amp;month=11&amp;year=2010]]></link>
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Mercury Hazard from Amalgam Greater than Thought 2 Studies11152010reprinted with permission from FDA Webview by Jim DickinsonBarely a month before it has elected to officially hear critics of its 2009 final rule finding dental amalgam safe and effective the agency is confronted by two new studies condemning the health damage caused by amalgams principal ingredient mercury One prepared for a 121415 special FDA advisory committee meeting on dental amalgam risks and delivered last week examines US public exposure to mercury and suggests that amalgam fillings expose 1223 million Americans to quantities of mercury in excess of the safe dose level established by the California Environmental Protection Agency in 2008 This reference exposure level is accepted by other government agencies for public protection The other study published in the 1115 issue of the Journal of Alzheimers Disease directly links mercury in amalgam causatively to that diseaseBoth studies effectively contradict an assertion made at a 72809 press conference on the new amalgam rule by CDRH Dental Device Division acting director Susan Runner The best available scientific evidence supports the conclusion that patients with dental amalgam fillings are not at risk for mercuryassociated adverse health effectsThe first study is also critical of FDAs failure to consider the additive effect of nondental sources of mercury and the compounding effects of similar neurotoxins such as lead and methyl mercury Neurological effects particularly in the nervous system of the developing fetusneonatechild represent the most sensitive endpoint for exposures to these neurotoxic substances says the study report commissioned by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology IAOMT which is among petitioners presenting at next months FDA meeting Click here to see the full text of the massive IAOMT sponsored risk assessment of dental amalgamNoting recent literature on the combined interactive and additive neurological effects of the three heavy metals in humans the 1111 study by Ottawa Canadabased SNCLavalins G Mark Richardson et al says potential neurological effects of lead and mercury on the developing brain of the fetus are likely to accumulate via the placenta and breast milk The study reports DiscussionConclusions section estimates that more than 121 million Americans have an exposure level from the combined three heavy metals that exceeds the 200304 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey safety standard It reached this conclusion it says based on criteria set out in guidance issued by both the US Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry and the Environmental Protection AgencyAll of these substances it says share the following characteristicsAll are absorbed in large proportion into systemic circulationAll cross the bloodbrain and placental barriersAll cause neurological toxicityExposure to all of these substances currently exceed individual reference exposure levels for many in the US populationThe report also notes that although not part of the study high fructose corn syrups have recently been found to contain high levels of inorganic mercury with average daily intakes in the US at 50 grams per person due to its widespread use in numerous commercial prepared foods and sweetened beveragesIn the second study Northeastern University neuropharmacology professor Richard Deth coauthored with Germanys Joachim Mutter a metaanalysis of 106 casecontrol or comparative cohort studies to associate mercury as a causative factor in Alzheimers disease Noting that the main source of mercury in the human body is dental amalgam the authors say the mercury evaporates at a slow rate but is released at a higher rate when the fillings are put in place or removed From this source and other less common ones 12 to 270 micrograms of Hgo elemental or metallic mercury are taken up per day and 10 to 220 micrograms of Hgo are retained Other variable factors of mercury release include the number age and size of the fillings the presence of dental alloys individual chewing habits and drinking hot liquids as well as bruxismA news release issued by the authors quoted Viadrina European Universityand Samueli Institute Fellow Harald Walach as saying The situation is similar to the early 1970s regarding smoking enough experimental evidence existed but human studies were inconclusive at the time and were under attack by groups with a vested interest To wait until irrefutable evidence has accumulated is not the best option in view of what we already know about the toxicity of mercury The removal of inorganic mercury from ecological cycles might prove to be the easiest and most effective public health measure to contribute to the prevention of Alzheimers diseasePetitioner IAOMT issued a news release hailing the MutterDeth study and urging NIH to fund realistic research on the mercuryAlzheimers link and quoted California first lady Maria Shriver as expressing concern that Alzheimers Disease will bankrupt every family in this country 
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				<title><![CDATA[Report Linking Mercury and Alzheimer's Disease Makes Fox News]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=347&amp;month=11&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					An article recently published in the Journal of Alzheimers Disease presenting a large scale systematic review of the literature makes the case that mercury exposure is significantly associated with the incidence of ADFox News picked up on the report in a news item viewable on YouTube httpwwwyoutubecomwatchvam56uGr2xoThe original article is attached below

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				<title><![CDATA[Speak Up for Mercury-Free Dentistry at FDA Now! ]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=346&amp;month=11&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
Speak Up for MercuryFree Dentistry at FDA Now A message from citizen activist Mary Ann NewellThe US Food and Drug Administration FDA is holding hearings to review the safety of dental amalgam on December 1415 2010 Currently the FDA rule on dental amalgam acknowledges that The developing neurological systems in fetuses and young children may be more sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of mercury vapor but inexplicably still says that it is safe to expose even these vulnerable populations to mercury  a know neurotoxin and reproductive toxin FDA is now accepting comments from the public in preparation for the hearings but the December 3 deadline is fast approaching With the American Dental Association telling FDA that amalgam is both safe and necessary it is more important than ever that every mercuryfree dentist speak up now Here are three ways to let FDA know what you think of the use of mercury in dentistry1 Submit a written comment online at httpwwwregulationsgovsearchRegshomehtmlsubmitCommentR0900006480b04c4fYour written comment is an opportunity to tell your story and explain  Why you practice mercuryfree dentistry The advantages of mercuryfree filling materials How mercuryfree dentistry benefits patients  How amalgam is not necessary for any population including children and people with disabilities because alternatives are available The dangers of mercury in our environment The workplace hazards of dental mercury2 If you are able to come testify in person before the FDA at the dental amalgam hearings The hearings will be held just outside of Washington DC at the Holiday InnGaithersburg Main Ballroom 2 Montgomery Village Ave Gaithersburg MD 20879 on December 1415 In order to testify at the hearings you must sign up by contacting FDA staff member Olga Claudio at olgaclaudiofdahhsgov by November 29 Tell her that you are a mercuryfree dentist and would like to speak at the upcoming hearings on dental amalgam and give her your contact information 3 Encourage your patients dental hygienists and dental assistants to write FDA andor request to testify by telling them about the hearings posting information about it on your website or sending an email to them Tell them to go to httpwwwregulationsgovsearchRegshomehtmlsubmitCommentR0900006480b04c4f to submit a written comment They can explain how they were injured by amalgam the dangers of mercury in the workplace how they do not want their children exposed to mercury how they did not know that their silver fillings contained mercury and how they benefited from mercuryfree dentistry Please forward this notice to other mercuryfree dentistsThank you for taking a stand for mercuryfree dentistry 
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				<title><![CDATA[Costa Mesa CA Council Calls For Ban On Dental Mercury Fillings]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=345&amp;month=10&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					Los Angeles CA PRWEB October 26 2010 
 The Costa Mesa City Council adopted an historic resolution regarding 
the ban of dental amalgam filling also known as the silvermercury 
filling  In response to the need for more public education regarding 
the dangers of the mercury fillingThe resolution was sponsored by Gary Monahan former Mayor of Costa 
Mesa and sitting Council Member  This is way overdue here in the 
United States and especially California said Monahan at Tuesday 
nights meeting  Monahan also went on to cite Zogby Poll results 
wherein 94 of Californians believe that their dentist should be 
required to inform them about the various types of mercury and 
nonmercury fillings that are available before filling a cavity  
Californians for Green Dentistry
 organized the presentation which included several highly informative 
and moving testimonies including Anita GonzalezTibau and Attorney 
Charles Brown Executive Director of Consumers for Dental Choice
 and President of the World Alliance for MercuryFree Dentistry  Brown 
stated that Amalgam is a primitive preCivil War product  It is a 
colossal pollutant
According to Californians for Green Dentistry The mercury implanted
 into the teeth of unsuspecting patients ultimately ends up back in our 
environment 1 in our water via dental clinic releases and household 
toilets 2 in our air via cremation sludge incineration dental 
clinic emissions and human respiration and 3 in our land via 
landfills burials and fertilizer
Also among the speakers were Dr James Rota and Dr Chester Yokoyama DDS a former California Dental Examiners Board memberThe discussion of the Monahan Resolution resulted in increased 
awareness by the Council and audience regarding the multiple dangers of 
using mercury fillings  I wasnt familiar with this at all until 
Councilman Monahan brought it forward I have mercury fillings  Now I 
am concerned as stated by Council Member Wendy Leece 
Further speaking of dental amalgams Dr Rota strongly urges anyone 
who is considering having the silver mercury filling removed from their 
teeth to ensure that procedure is performed by a dentist that adheres to
 the IAOMT protocols

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				<title><![CDATA[Preparations For December FDA Hearing Gathering Steam]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=344&amp;month=10&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					From FDA WebviewFDA to Consider New Study on Mercury Amalgam Risks10072010A year after 17 groups petitioned FDA to reconsider its controversial 8409 final rule declaring mercurybased dental amalgam safe CDRH has agreed to consider an updated risk assessment currently being prepared by a team from Montrealbased SNCLavalin Environment a division of SNCLavalin Inc The team is headed by G Mark Richardson the author of Health Canadas 1995 assessment of mercury exposure and risks from dental amalgam that recommended a lower safe mercury exposure level from amalgam than FDA used in its final rule The study will be completed next month ahead of a Dental Products Panel advisory committee meeting 121415 called to consider scientific issues presented in the groups petitions According to petitioners Richardsons new study is using the latest statistical information on the US population taken from the National Center for Health StatisticsThe petitioners complained that the safe mercury exposure levels used by FDA for the final rule were significantly outdated and failed to take account of more recent published data The SNCLavalin study will review the most recent studies on the toxicology of mercury vapor building on work by Health Canada that was published in 2009 and will also consider very recent studies on the use of dental amalgam in children Petitioners say the intention is to apply these recent toxicological studies to the doseresponse assessment methods recently recommended by the National Research Council and published by the National Academies PressAccording to the petitioners three recent studies published in 2008 or later substantially lower the recommended safe exposure level for elemental mercury vapor the primary form of mercury from amalgam fillings These studies were not discussed in FDAs final rule but are being considered by the SNCLavalin team Additionally SNCLavalin will estimate mercury exposures to children as young as 26 months the youngest age at which NCHS recorded restored teeth The team will also estimate exposures for people with as many as twentyeight filled teeth the maximal dental filling load recorded for the US population FDA did not consider children younger than six years or estimate exposure levels derived from greater than ten fillingsThe petitioners told FDA Webview that the SNCLavalin team is also reviewing the available data to determine whether an estimate of mercury exposure to a fetus is possible The petitioners complained that fetuses are exposed to mercury by the placement of mercury fillings in the mother The US EPA recognizes the fetus as vulnerable or sensitive and recommends consideration of the fetus in the assessment of neurotoxins including mercury the petitioners said in a news release FDAs final rule did not include an estimate for this exposureBased on published health statistics SNCLavalin intends to identify the proportion of the US population treated with mercury fillings that exceeds the safe exposure levels for mercury vapor determined by various national and international government agencies It will also offer its opinion of the number of fillings that may be safely used in toddlers children teens and adults The risk assessment will be disseminated to the FDA advisory committee for consideration prior to the public hearings  Two private foundations are funding the SNCLavalin study which is being managed through the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology a nonprofit corporation

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				<title><![CDATA[Sandy Duffy, President of Consumers for Dental Choice, Dead at 63]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=343&amp;month=10&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
Sandy Duffy 19472010 President of Consumers for Dental ChoiceSandra Noreen Duffy  president of Consumers for Dental Choice successful attorney community leader wife and mother of five  died October 2 after a valiant battle with cancerSandys husband Robert Greaves another Portland Oregon lawyer has also been a great friend of our movement Sandys five children four young adults and one college student are John Hart Terry Hart Michel Hart Greg Hart and Kevin DuffyGreaves She leaves seven grandchildren ages 8 to 14 Plus a bevy of friends supporters and admirers in her community nation and worldA prayer service where family and friends will share memories and tributes will be held Tuesday tomorrow night October 5 at 7 pm at St Clare Church located at 8535 SW 19th Ave Portland Oregon Her funeral will also be at St Clare Church on Wednesday October 6 at 12 noon Afterwards from 3 to 6 pm the family will celebrate Sandys life and legacy at a wake which will take place between 36pm Wednesday October 6 at an Irish pub You may publish your condolences and tributes to Sandy online by clicking here or for us oldfashioned types you can write Robert Greaves amp family at 1245 Bayberry Rd Lake Oswego OR 97034 USARobert and the family have asked that those seeking to honor Sandy consider in lieu of flowers a memorial gift to St Vincent de Paul of Portland httpwwwsvdppdxorg or to Consumers for Dental Choice httpwwwtoxicteethorgdonatecfm Sandys Life and LegacyIn addition to being Assistant County Attorney for Multomah County Sandy was active in her church  truly living her Christian faith daybyday  and in her community where she served on the board of the Oregon Center for Environmental Health As the rest of us worldwide knew her Sandy Duffy played a leading role in shaping the movement for mercuryfree dentistry and was a key force working with Consumers for Dental Choice1 Sandy Duffy played a key role in dismantling the notorious gag rule  organized dentistrys rule of conduct that prohibited dentists from informing their patients about amalgams mercury  that enabled dental boards to repeatedly threaten dentists licenses and even take them before our movement started In a shrewd move she persuaded the American Civil Liberties Union to challenge the Oregon dental boards gag rule as a violation of mercuryfree dentists First Amendment right to free speech The ACLU wrote a demand letter to the Attorney General of Oregon who  faced with a losing lawsuit  instructed the dental board to repeal the gag rule which it did Sandy then flew across the country to Iowa to take on that states gag rule Teaming with Iowan activist Joyce Van Haaften Sandy once again succeeded in protecting mercuryfree dentists We then invited the ACLU to take on the Connecticut gag rule on behalf of Dr Mark Breiner the ACLU beat the state in federal court Each domino then got easier Hence our announcement a few years ago reprinted below Sandy Duffy and ACLU knock out the gag ruleWith the end of the gag rule thousands of dentists now advertise and advocate mercuryfree dentistry The marketplace changed with up to half of dentists now mercuryfree Heres the latest According to a poll announced this week an astounding onefourth of dentists in American now supporting a total ban on amalgam And with the profession so divided the American Dental Association is no longer able to mount a united front to protect its favorite filling material2 Sandy was a powerful witness against amalgam at one highstakes hearing after another She testified before the US Congress before the US Food and Drug Administration before the King County Seattle Board of Health before state legislatures and before state dental boards3 In Oregon Sandy organized a coalition then convinced the Oregon state legislature to require amalgam separators to catch some of dentists scrap mercury before it goes down the drain and into our environment As a result Oregon became the first state west of the Mississippi to take this step Five days before Sandy died the US Environmental Protection Agency announced that it will embark on a similar course to protect the environment from dental mercury nationwide an achievement that her son Greg conveyed to her at the hospice4 Sandy inspired activism Working for mercuryfree dentistry with people coasttocoast  from Freya Koss in Philadelphia to Jim Turner in Washington DC to Bernice Collura in Florida to Shawn Khorrami in Los Angeles to Mary Ann Newell in Washington state  she set the gold standard for commitment and followthrough5 Not only was Sandy Board President of Consumers for Dental Choice but she was a true leader of the mercuryfree dentistry movement Though an advocate in substance she was moderate in temperament For those of us whose style borders on the fractious she worked as the uniter She was a unifying force as we all struggled together for the common goal of an end to dental mercury 6 Sandy Duffy was an inspiration to all and particularly to us here at Consumers for Dental Choice We would exchange emails by the day hour or minute She would give the instant analysis if it were sports she would have been the color commentator She helped raise money to keep the cause alive and although she worked fulltime as a litigator which as lawyers know is the most intense field in our trade and as the central figure in a large extended Irish Catholic family she seemed to work fulltime as a pro bono lawyer as well Three fulltime jobs Sandy had so much regard for the mercuryfree dentistry movement that  this is hard to say  she withheld from me the fact of her cancer until after the first United Nations negotiating session for the world mercury treaty so I could represent the World Alliance for MercuryFree Dentistry in Stockholm with an uncluttered mindShe understood the stakes We are not playing beanbag with the promercury forces inside dentistry We fight so that millions of children and billions of fish will not be harmed by the often permanent effects of dental mercury Sandy Duffy knew we are going to win and we willCharlie Brown4 October 2010PS  Freya Koss is organizing a memorial dinner to be held December 13 the evening before the FDA hearings in Washington DCPPS  The announcement we made about Sandys demolition of the gag rule is belowSANDY DUFFY and ACLU KNOCK OUT THE OREGON GAG RULEIts the beginning of the end of the ADA gag rulePortland lawyer Sandra Duffy Oregon director for Consumers for Dental Choice recognized that the Oregon dental board policy of enforcing the ADA gag rule on dentists criticizing mercury fillings violates the free speech rights of dentists Accordingly in December she enlisted the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union the nations champion on the First Amendment to battle the policy The ACLU through Portland lawyers Michael Simon and Julia Markley working pro bono wrote a letter to the Attorney General of Oregon in February saying the dental board had 30 days to rescind its policy adopted back in 1990 In that year the Oregon dental board adopted the ADA policy aimed at gagging dentists from telling patients and the public about the health effects of mercury fillings known deceptively as silver amalgam The board maintained that policy despite the huge body of science showing the ADA to be wrongThe office of Attorney General Hardy Myers responded promptly getting the matter on the Board agenda on March 8 Immediately Mary Ann Newell organized a large number of consumers and health practitioners to attend and Sandy put together a presentation to make to the dental board On that date the states largest newspaper the Oregonian ran a frontpage story about the dental board denying dentists their free speech rights The board used to having its meetings with only dental lobbyists present was astounded to see 40 people in its tiny meeting room told Sandy Duffy no one could speak She of course insisted that everyone have her or his say The board  faced with an aware press legal advice against them and an aroused citizenry  repealed the ADA gag ruleSince that meeting Sandy Duffy and I have met with Jann Carson assistant executive director of the ACLU about pushing this issue with ACLU chapters around the nation We commend the ACLU  remember a champion of civil liberties for ALL of usThe ADA gag rule is on its way to the dustbins of history It is gone in California after our yearlong battle out there led by Anita Tibau It is now gone in Oregon It failed to restart in Florida thanks to Julie Hilton and BJ West And it has no leg to stand on anywhere  any dental board who tries to enforce it is violating the First AmendmentI urge dentists to start talking about mercury amalgam  the scientific studies the manufacturer warnings the Health Canada report the fact that its not silver the vapors emanating continually to childrens brain We need you to advise advocate and advertise the truth And now thanks to Sandy Duffy and the ACLU its increasingly clear you have the United States Constitution on your sideCharlie BrownMarch 12 2002
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				<title><![CDATA[EPA To Propose Rule on Dental Mercury - A Significant Win For Mercury Environmentalists]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=342&amp;month=9&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
EPA Will Propose Rule to Protect Waterways by Reducing Mercury from Dental Offices Existing technology is available to capture dental mercury CONTACT Jalil Isa isajalilepagov 2025643226 2025644355 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 27 2010 WASHINGTON  The US Environmental Protection Agency EPA today announced it intends to propose a rule to reduce mercury waste from dental offices Dental amalgams or fillings containing mercury account for 37 tons of mercury discharged from dental offices each year The mercury waste results when old mercury fillings are replaced with new ones The mercury in dental fillings is flushed into chairside drains and enters the wastewater systems making its way into the environment through discharges to rivers and lakes incineration or land application of sewage sludge Mercury released through amalgam discharges can be easily managed and prevented EPA expects to propose a rule next year and finalize it in 2012 Dental offices will be able to use existing technology to meet the proposed requirements Amalgam separators can separate out 95 percent of the mercury normally discharged to the local waste treatment plant The separator captures the mercury which is then recycled and reused Until the rule is final EPA encourages dental offices to voluntarily install amalgam separators Twelve states and several municipalities already require the installation of amalgam separators in dental offices Approximately 50 percent of mercury entering local waste treatment plants comes from dental amalgam waste Once deposited certain microorganisms can change elemental mercury into methylmercury a highly toxic form that builds up in fish shellfish and animals that eat fish Fish and shellfish are the main sources of methylmercury exposure to humans Methylmercury can damage childrens developing brains and nervous systems even before they are born More information on mercury from dental offices waterepagovscitechwastetechguidedentalindexcfm More information on mercury and the environment wwwepagovmercuryindexhtml More reaction EPA to End Bush Era Dental Mercury Midnight Dealfrom the Mercury Policy ProjectWASHINGTON Sept 27 PRNewswireUSNewswire  Today environmental groups applauded EPAs announcement to propose a new rule requiring dentists to reduce mercury pollution quotDentists are the largest polluter of mercury to wastewaterquot said Michael Bender director of the Mercury Policy Project and a steering committee member of the National Mercury Products Campaigni quotWe welcome EPAs proposal to end the Bushera midnight deal allowing dentists to pollute until they enacted voluntary pollution prevention initiatives  which never substantially materializedquotClear evidence of the failure of voluntary programs had been well documented by a 2008 congressional report which cited numerous cases where the programs didnt realize significant complianceii Since then a coalition of state government organizations has found that amalgam separator installation rates are low unless there is a mandatory componentiiiTwelve states have mandated best management practices and amalgam separators at dental clinics which can eliminate 9599 of dental mercury releases to wastewater Yet in states where amalgam separators arent mandated compliance is low Only 13 of the separators installed have been sold in nonregulated states from 2004 through 2009 according to an amalgam separator manufacturers May 2010 congressional testimonyUnfortunately the American Dental Association continues to ignore the latest science on mercury from EPAs website which states that When amalgam enters the water microorganisms can change it into methylmercury a highly toxic form that builds up in fishiv Methylmercury is a well documented neurotoxicant which can cause adverse effects on the developing brain Yet ADAs website continues to deny this stating Dental amalgam has little effect on the environment and this amount is not in the form of mercury found in fish which is the greatest concernvquotEPAs proposal will not only clean up dental mercury pollution here at home but also highlights the need to reduce amalgam impacts internationallyquot said Bender quotGlobal mercury negotiations are currently underwayvi and the annual use of over 300 tons of dental mercury globally is getting increasing scrutinyquotFor more informationMPP report on quotMidnight Dealquothttpmercurypolicyorgwpcontentuploads201005dentalmercurymidnightdealreportforwebpdfwwwmercurypolicyorgNOTESi The Campaign is comprised of over 20 state and national environmental groupsii Staff report of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee Majority Staff Oversight and Government Reform Committee September 10 2008iii Letter from Mark McDermid Quicksilver Caucus Lead ECOS Representative to the EPA Water Docket ID No EPAHQOW20080517 March 31 2010iv httpwwwepagovmercurydentalamalgamhtmlv httpwwwadaorg1540aspxvi httpwwwuneporghazardoussubstancesMercurytabid434languageenUSDefaultaspxSOURCE Mercury Policy Projecthttpwwwprnewswirecomnewsreleasesepatoendbusheradentalmercurymidnightdeal103892228htmlFrom Press KucinichSent Monday September 27 2010 418 PMSubject Kucinich Announces Victory in Protecting Americans and the EnvironmentFor Immediate ReleaseContact Nathan White 2022255871Kucinich Announces Victory in Protecting Americans and the EnvironmentEPA Mandates Use of Mercury Filtration Systems by DentistsWashington DC September 27 2010  Domestic Policy Subcommittee Chairman Dennis Kucinich DOH today applauded an announcement by the US Environmental Protection Agency that it will propose a new rule to dramatically reduce mercury waste discharges from dental offices The announcement follows a May 2010 hearing of the Subcommittee on that subjectIn that hearing Kucinich pressed EPA to justify its continued adherence to a deal the agency had made with the American Dental Association under President Bush That arrangement spelled out in a Memorandum of Understanding did not require dentists to prevent mercury discharges Rather it committed the dentists association to encourage dentists to voluntarily install mercury filtration systems Unfortunately none of the memorandums commitments milestones and goals had been satisfactorily fulfilled at the time of the congressional hearingquotThe number one source of mercury in wastewater and municipal sludge is dental offices Weve known for some time that dentists as a whole wont install mercury separators unless they know that they will be required to do so Sadly the Bush Administration EPA missed an opportunity to persuade dentists to install mercury separators when it entered into a purely voluntary arrangement with the ADA in late December 2008 My Subcommittee expressed our dissatisfaction and the Obama EPA corrected the error EPAs announcement today is a significant step in the right direction to remove a serious toxin from the environmentquot said KucinichAmalgam left over from dental work is often flushed down the drain contaminating waste water and the air Technology exists to filter mercury from the water before it leaves the dentists office but studies have shown that dentists dont use it unless they face a legal requirement The EPA rule expected to be finalized in 2012 will require dentists to use of mercury separating technology by 2014

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				<title><![CDATA[BPA Found on Cash Register Receipts]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=341&amp;month=9&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					

    Receipts a large  and largely ignored  source of BPA    


	Small studies raise big alarm about exposure to a  hormonemimicking chemical
	
    	By Janet Raloff for the full article see
		Science News
	




Cash
register and other receipts may expose consumers to substantial amounts
of bisphenol A a hormonemimicking chemical that has been linked with
a host of potential health risks according to a trio of recent
studies Each study offers preliminary evidence that a large number of
retail outlets print sales receipts on certain types of heatsensitive
or thermal paper that use BPA as a color developerTwo of the
new studies also showed that the BPA coating easily rubs off onto
fingers And one found evidence that BPA from receipts may penetrate
skin

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				<title><![CDATA[Mercury Awareness Rises in Indonesia]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=340&amp;month=8&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
From The Jakarta GlobeFidelis E Satriastanti 8310Moves to Outlaw Mercury Use in Indonesian Medical SectorJakarta Environmental health activist Yuyun Ismawati is hardly a fan of mercury so it came as a shock to her to find out that her dental fillings contained high concentrations of the heavy metal The WHO World Health Organization lists dental amalgam as the biggest nonindustrial mercury vapor source said Yuyun a director at Bali Fokus Foundation a toxic chemicals watchdog The biggest contributor is still the industrial sector due to the use of coal and natural gas but the contribution from the health sector is considerable Mercury is a common byproduct of mining cement production and coalfired electricity production It is also used in some cosmetics and present in fish caught in polluted waters However an often overlooked source of mercury is the health sector including dentistry and health equipment such as thermometers Yuyun said Mercury can have a devastating impact on human health causing allergic reactions pneumonia and liver and heart damage Mercury poisoning can also cause death The WHO estimates that 5 percent of the mercury released through waste water comes from medical facilities Such facilities are responsible for 10 percent of the mercury vapor released through waste incineration Wiwik Wahjoeni an official from the Health Ministry said it was difficult to get accurate figures for mercury use in medical appliances in Indonesia We should monitor the use of mercurybased dental amalgams because not all dentists are aware of the dangers of this substance particularly those at community health centers she said Rasio Ridho Sani the assistant for toxic and hazardous substances at the Environment Ministry said his office was currently drawing up a national action plan to ban the use of mercury starting with the medical sector Its not a simple issue given the ubiquitous use of mercury in everything from heavy industry to the medical sector he said Weve decided to start with the health sector because it affects people most directly and we want all medical practitioners to realize this Most of them dont know that theyre harming their patients through their ignorance of the dangers of mercury Faye Ferrer from international health care watchdog Health Care Without Harm pointed out that most developed countries now ban or strictly regulate the use of mercury in the medical sector The European Union has banned mercury thermometers and is considering alternatives for blood pressure devices too she said Ferrer called on developing countries like Indonesia to be wary of donations from developed countries in the form of medical equipment as some countries might attempt to dump nonconforming equipment here

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				<title><![CDATA[Servando Will Get Treatment]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=339&amp;month=8&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					After a monthlong lockin at a Spanish hospital and a bold hunger strike Professor Servando Prez has won the right to detoxification treatment for his dental mercury poisoning As president of the Spanish amalgampoisoned patient association Mercuriados and First Vice President of the World Alliance for MercuryFree Dentistry Servando is a wellrespected leader of the mercuryfree dentistry movement His Spanish court case established that Spains public health care system is required to pay for the chelation of amalgampoisoned patients When the hospital attempted to subvert the courts decision Servando refused to leave the hospital until he received treatment Harassed and pressured by hospital staff he declared a hunger strike last week to protest this egregious denial of treatment People from around the world contacted the hospital administrators and the Spanish government voicing their support for the Gandhi of the mercuryfree dentistry movement Finally the hospital relented late last week Servando was referred to a toxicologist for treatment  a step hospital administrators should have taken over a month ago While there remain concerns over the quality of treatment he will receive this achievement is nonetheless a momentous leap forward in the battle to help amalgam victims Clara Valverde President of the Spanish environmental illness association Liga SFC issued the following statement on behalf of Servando We want to thank all the scientists doctors associations and individuals who all over the world during Servandos lockin and hunger strike have contacted the Spanish and the Galician provincial authorities to protest for Servandos situation and who have shown support for our fight We hope to continue to count on your support News from Consumers for Dental Choice

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				<title><![CDATA[Spanish Mercury Activist Goes On Hunger Strike]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=338&amp;month=8&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
From the Chemical Sensitivity Network of GermanyAs of yesterday July 26 2010 Professor Servando Perez President of Mercuriados Spain
people affected by chronic mercury intoxication has began a hunger
strike Prof Perez was diagnosed two years ago as having Chronic
Mercury Intoxication and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities MCS His
case went to the highest court in Spain and a judge ruled that Prof
Perez had chronic mercury intoxicaton due to dental fillings and that
the Spanish public health care system Social Security should treat
his condition with chelation or refer him to a private clinic to do so
and pay the costs This was an incredible legal precendent
Needless to say Professor Perez has not been treated yet and the
Social Security has been doing everything possible to make sure that
he as with other MCS Chronic Fatigue SyndromeMyalgic Encephylitis
and Fibromyalgia patients in Spain do not receive proper medical
services from the public health care system
Because of this Mercuriados Spain and many other associations have
been carrying out campaigns popular initiatives lobbying legal
suits and many other strategies to change this situation but with no
positive results
Professor Perezs health has deteriorated and a month ago he went to
emergency at the Santiago de Compostela University Hospital They
refused to attend him and he said he would not leave the hospital until
the judges order for a chelation was carried out
In the past month at the hospital Prof Perez has endured all kinds
of harassment and pressures to leave He has even been diagnosed as
having a psychiatric illness despite the fact that his illness is
organic
We the Spanish MCS CFSME and FMS associations have mounted a
campaign to support Prof Perez with emails phone calls to the
hospital press etc
And now the latest harassing strategy by the hospital is to refuse
to give him food without additives Faced with all of this Servando
Perez has started a hunger strike Yes he could try to get a bank loan
and pay for a private chelation but this would not help the rest of us
ill people in Spain waiting to get treatment in the public health care
system The hospital says that they refuse to refer him to a private
clinic and pick up the tab because it would set a precedent and soon
all the people with chronic heavy metal intoxication in Spain would
have to be treated And they dont want to do that with tax money
Servando Perez has opted for the brave and hard road to try to
change the desperate situation we live with in Spain those of us with
these illnesses and we are proud of Servandos action
We write you to inform you and to ask you for your support
Please write or phone the Vice director of the Hospital Santiago de
Compostela Dr JoseRamn Gmez at joseramongomezfernandezsergases
or phone him at 34 981950970
We all are Servando Perez
Thank you
Clara Valverde
President
Liga SFC CFSME League Spain
wwwligasfcorg


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				<title><![CDATA[Success at UN Mercury Meeting]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=337&amp;month=8&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
The United Nations Environmental Program is in the process of designing a new international treaty to limit international trade and transportation of mercury It was becoming apparent that dental mercury was going to be sidelined in these negotiations so Graeme Hall BDS our long time IAOMT fellow in the UK and Charlie Brown chief counsel for Consumers for Dental Choice rushed to attend With the help of Michael Bender of the Mercury Policy Project they pushed dental mercury back to center stage Here is Graemes reportUNEP STOCKHOLM Mercury Programme June 611 2010

Report and proposal by Graeme MunroHall BDS FIAOMT

In the 20 years I have been a participant in the amalgam struggle
this UNEP United Nations Environment Programme meeting was one of the
most important meetings I have attended

I went at the invitation of Charlie Brown and his newly formed umbrella
organisation World Alliance of MercuryFree Dentistry also
representing the IAOMT

Charlie had registered World Alliance as an NGO Non Governmental Organisation with UNEP

My task was to counter any arguments from the FDI World Dental
Federation They had at the interim meeting in Washington talked about
the safety and viability of amalgam

The recently published book Toxic Dentistry Exposed authored by
myself and Lilian MunroHall gave me a credibility that was certainly
apparent the Stockholm meeting

I had very little time to prepare a submission about a week but I
prepared a submission and a short power point presentation Both are
available on wwwmunrohallcliniccouk

I put the submission and the presentation on 20 USB sticks to give to interested delegates

I was invited to speak at the Products meeting but only given 3 minutes

The talk see attachment  Talk was well received the FDI spokesperson actually walked out during my speech

I was in fact on holiday in Spain but gave up the time to attend the
meeting flying to and from Spain I flew in Saturday for the Sunday
meetings the official opening was on Monday and I left Wednesday night
with the meeting having two days still to go

UN meetings are officially from 10 till 1 then 3 to 6 this is the main
Plenary meeting where nations can speak and NGOs attend but not speak
unless asked to by the chair

Groups of nations such as Africa Asia EU nations Middle East
Eastern Europe JUSCAN JapanUSAIcelandSwitzerland Canada and so
on meet separately from 8 till 10 and 13 Specialist meetings such as
Products Transport Waste etc take place 68 usually 10pm The
specialist meetings are open but the nation groups are by invitation
or not in my case I just went and sometimes NGOs are excluded if a
nation objects to them Typically Armenia Azerbyjan and Iran I was
informed by other NGOs that Iran is suspicious of all NGOs believing
them to be agents of the CIA I found them very polite and interested
in the subject

Meals are taken on the run if at all and it is very one on one eyeball to eyeball type of event

Charlie gave a 5 minute talk to the whole assembly at the beginning of the meeting

Charlie Brown was extremely effective in his talking his lobbying strategy and meetings

I could not praise Charlie enough for all that he did He attended the
full length of the conference We were on the go from morning until
night

Between us we put amalgam at the top of the agenda and hopefully
neutralised the FDI at least at this time There are to be meetings in
2011 Tokyo and 2012 Burkino Faso probably but this meeting set the
agendas and the tone If amalgam had been relegated to a side issue
here it would never have been possible to raise it up the agenda at
later meetings

In the beginning the main issue was ASGM Artesinal Smallscale Gold
Mining and the mercury used by the miners mercury from amalgam was an
also ran

That was on the Sunday By Wednesday amalgam was firmly in the
conference agenda mainly thanks to our Swedish hosts Charlie and
myself

This UNEP Mercury conference was the best attended conference of any UN
meeting in the last 20 years there is major worldwide interest in
mercury from all sources

UNEP started by refusing to discuss the pathology of mercury stating
that was already established and no further discussion was either
necessary nor allowed

UNEP had a mandate from their governing council to make a worldwide
treaty banning mercury and its products by 2013 The main mover of this
was the new US Government The Bush Administration had stalled and
wanted voluntary agreements ie keep the status quo The Obama
Administration had done a 1800 turn and forced the issue into UNEP

This alone had given the mercury issue traction and made the meeting possible

Charlie had organised a small stand which we gave out information he had printed up in many different languages

The Swedish hosts were excellent At the opening ceremony the Swedish Minister of the Environment stated

All Swedish lakes were contaminated with mercury mercury was a global
issue and the mercury from dental amalgam was a major polluter in the
lakes It was the mercury found in every lake in Sweden which made us
act This is an environmental rather than a health issue This cuts
the legs from under the FDI and ADA

Sweden followed Norway in the ban of amalgam as well as other mercury
products thermometers blood pressure devices etc and where the
Nordic countries led the rest of the world should follow

All mercury used eventually ends up as waste and this either pollutes
the water or is airborne travels miles from its point of origin before
descending to earth and polluting the environment and damaging health

This put the amalgam ball into the arena Charlie and I just ran with it

At the products meeting originally there was to be a dentist from the
Swedish Health Board talking about amalgam but he had written against
Boyds work so was hardly representative of a neutral amalgamist I was
to be used head to head against him however the Swedish patient
organisation managed to persuade the Minister via a personal contact
that this would be a bad idea ie might make them look bad in a head
to head so he changed it to someone from the Swedish Chemical Agency

The agency gave a brief outline of the practical steps of how they
organised the elimination of amalgam They said that research showed
that the alternatives to amalgam were

1 Effective

2 Affordable

3 Available

Therefore there was no need to continue with the use of amalgam as a dental restorative material

Our pitch to the delegates was the same effective affordable and available

The downstream costs of using amalgam in terms of environmental and
personal health problems made the cost of using amalgam very high This
was part of our pitch

I offered IAOMT expertise on any part of the amalgam problem to the UNEP Secretariat and the delegates



I gave away all the USBs to various delegates Sevandes the leader of
a Spanish amalgam patient organisation and someone of Charlies Spanish
speaking group contacted the Cuban group to see if we can get them to
agree to a mercury free zone somewhere in Cuba with our help advise
and expertise Then using this zone as an example to spread it over the
whole island Similarly I spoke to the Iranians with the same idea

These countries are not beholden to dental authorities or commercial
pressure and could be used as examples for the rest of the world to
follow

The Nordic countries are seen as rich enough to afford going mercury
free whereas Tanzania for example may have problems rolling out such
a programme  Tanzania was one of many delegates whom I approached and
now understands about amalgam Cost was their main concern

IPEN is an NGO umbrella group of environmental organisations Charlie
had contact with their leader a chemical engineer from the Lebanon
Charlie will write a proposal for a Lebanese mercury free zone IPEN
Lebanon will massage the proposal so that it can receive funds A
conference for the interested parties would be organised and Govt
Policy makers brought in to change policy on mercury in line with UNEP
recommendations

Once again this can be made to be an example to the rest of the world
I would sort speakers for the conference within the Lebanon the policy
makers would be on board and force the issue and we could implement a
mercury free zone What this entails for dental offices monitoring
compliance and emissions are areas for IAOMT expertise

Egypt is another strong possibility in this regard I am invited to
Cairo as they are an important player in the UN Basel Waste Treaty
Organisation DDT etc And so on and so forth Busy busy

I spoke to the FDI representative Julian Fischer English

He claimed that the FDI were not far away from our position 

In Sept 2010 they will come out with a new cavity classification instead of Blacks classification which is to quote

A new paradigm in dentistry no more drill bill and fill but
concentrate on oral medicine and new materials They are asking the
pharmaceutical industry for money

This is I believe just to change the subject away from amalgam they
want the amalgam issue to fade slowly away so they are not held
responsible for the consequences

Until they acknowledge that mercury from amalgam is an immediate and
urgent problem and set dates for the cessation of the use of amalgam
they cannot be considered sincere

I doubt that they will ever do this

They are already lobbying WHO behind the scenes for delay in phasing out amalgam and money for research into new materials

Why do we need more research This is a familiar ploy on their part to stall for time

They want All dentists to work together but as Charlie said to UNEP
in his opening the FDI only represent a shrinking proportion of the
working dentists and are beholden to large commercial interests One
only has to see their involvement at the ADA midwinter meeting in
Chicago where the UNEP Problem was on the agenda to realise this
Details of which I have if anyone wants

Until the FDI

1 Set a date for amalgam cessation

2 Acknowledge the mercury problem from amalgam is pressing even if only environmentally

then we should regard them firmly as the opposition and restrict any cooperation between us

I will contact and put a proposal to them with these conditions and see how they respond

I will offer them a way out that may reduce their coming legal quagmire but whether they will take it is extremely doubtful

I met with the US delegates and spoke to the FDA Minister of Health
her description her proper title is Director International
Harmonisation and Multilateral Relations Office Ms C Michelle Limoli
who was largely ignorant about amalgam She is not so ignorant now
after I had a talk with her and said that the products division would
contact me about details of how to move away from amalgam We shall see
what if anything happens

The UK delegates seemed to think that I was the Devil Incarnate and
were frightened to be seen talking to me Their leader J Roberts was
most uncomfortable speaking to Charlie and me but we spoke to him a
number of times would not let him escape that was fun

UNEP asked NGOs for partnership in specific areas as they acknowledge
that they are lacking expertise in these areas I gave them our book
Toxic Dentistry Exposed and the USB of course to get them up to speed
on the amalgam issue

The most useful partnership areas for us are

1 Products

2 Waste


I will register IAOMTEurope as a partner in products There are
meetings in Geneva at least once a year and I can attend to keep
amalgam issue relevant and on track

Waste is a big issue that we can influence such as separators recycling especially in developing countries etc

Of course even with a treaty in place individual countries may not ratify it but first things first

My suggestions are as follows

1 Work with Charlie Brown using the World Alliance for Mercury Free
Dentistry Most of the European groups have agreed to this AKUT
environmental medical groups patient groups etc This gives us more
credibility on the world stage

I have seen this in action and it works Nothing is involved other than support for mercury free dentistry

2 Become partners with UNEP on the three subject areas Products is
already underway The mechanics of how this is implemented we can sort
out later

3 Send an IAOMT representative to Tokyo and eventually to the Burkino
Faso UNEP meetings Have on USBs proposals for implementation of the
cessation of amalgam that delegates can grasp and use to persuade their
home ministries to set up mercury free zones Tell them the problem and
offer solutions

We have a chance to sideline the FDIADA and using environmental
concerns about mercury This is an excellent opportunity to fulfil the
primary goal of the IAOMT of having amalgam banned After this we
should consider how to address the aftermath of amalgam ie the
patients still affected by mercury poisoning and environmental cleanup
that will be required



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				<title><![CDATA[Amalgam Phaseout on the Table at International Mercury Talks]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=336&amp;month=6&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					For Immediate Release Contact Michael Bender 802 223 9000 802 917 4579mercurypolicyaolcom As Mercury Treaty Talks Start WHO Lauded for Highlighting Phase Down of Amalgam amp Stopping Mercury Use in Skin Cosmetics Stockholm Brussels  11 June 2010 World governments under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme today completed the first step towards a legally binding treaty to control mercury pollution at the first Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee INC meeting in Stockholm Sweden These initial discussions will provide a strong basis for developing the text of the treaty starting at the next INC meeting in Tokyo Japan January 2011 The participation of 132 countries reaffirmed the importance and international commitment to address the global mercury problem said Elena LymberidiSettimo of the European Environmental Bureau and the Zero Mercury Working Group We hope that this first round of discussions covering all issues will open the way to more substantive discussions on legally binding control measures in order to minimise and where feasible eliminate mercury from use supply and emissions globally We applaud the World Health Organizations WHOs statement during the INC to stop the production of skin lightening cosmetics containing mercury as they present a serious exposure risk worldwide said Michael Bender of the Zero Mercury Working Group We also welcome WHO interest in phase downing the use of dental amalgam This may be of particular interest in the US as the FDA decided yesterday to review dental amalgam and in particular risks to vulnerable populations During the meeting countries expressed their views on potential targeted control provisions on mercury issues such as supply storage use in products and processes artisanal small scale gold mining trade atmospheric emissions waste and contaminated sites as well as on compliance Countries and regions also expressed their opinions on how discussions should unfold during the upcoming INCs We now look forward to engaging in focused discussions in areas such as supply trade and storage of surplus mercury where substantial progress can be made said Susan Keane of the Natural Resources Defense Council Rico Euripidou of the South African NGO groundwork Friends of the Earth South Africa noted We have made a good start towards establishing a treaty to control mercury pollution that will ultimately protect the fish we eat from this poisonMercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that makes its way up the food chain into humansand puts developing foetuses and young children most at risk Five Intergovernmental negotiating committee meetings are foreseen to take place to complete the work on a mercury treaty before 2013 For more information seewwwzeromercuryorgwwwmercurypolicyorgThe ZeroHg Working Group ZMWG is an international coalition of more than 80 public interest environmental and health nongovernmental organizations from over 45 countries from around the world that strives for zero supply demand and emissions of mercury from all anthropogenic sources with the goal of reducing mercury in the global environment to a minimum

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				<title><![CDATA[Court Allows Amalgam Malpractice Case ]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=335&amp;month=6&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					httpwwwadaorgnews4282aspxJune 11 2010Court allows dental malpractice claim involving amalgam to move forwardBy Jennifer GarvinNew YorkA New York appellate court has upheld a lower court ruling allowing a malpractice claim against a dentist to go to trialThe Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York First Department June 8 affirmed a ruling denying Dr Hadley Bachs motion requesting summary dismissal of claims by a former patient that Dr Bach committed dental malpractice by using bulk amalgam for a restoration instead of using encapsulated amalgam allegedly resulting in mercury poisoningAccording to court documents lawyers for patient Freya Koss a Pennsylvaniabased antiamalgamist claim that Dr Bach quotdeviated from accepted standards of care by employing an amalgam that contained mercury resulting in the patient suffering mercury poisoning rather than using a premixed precapsulated amalgam fillingquotThe court ruled that based on reports from three expert witnesses on Ms Koss behalf the witnesses quotsufficiently raise a triable issue of fact as to whether defendant departed from the standards of accepted dental practice and whether such deviation was a proximate cause of the patients injuriesquotThe court considered that the experts quotrelied on such objective factors as the failure to use premixed dental amalgams and the high levels of gaseous mercury that the vapor testing found in plaintiffs mouthquotThe courts ruling does not mean that there has been a definitive ruling on this subject Rather the court only concluded that a sufficient factual question has been raised to warrant a trialIn 2009 the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs reinforced the Associations longtime position that quotdental amalgam is considered a safe affordable and durable material that has been used to restore the teeth of more than 100 million AmericansquotTo see that statement in its entirety visit wwwadaorg1741aspx

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				<title><![CDATA[FDA Grants IAOMT Petition to Reconsider Amalgam Rule]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=334&amp;month=6&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					In a big win for safer dentistry the Food and Drug Administration today effectively put on hold its rule declaring mercurycontaining dental fillings to be safe for the entire population in response to several petitions to reconsider including one filed by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology IAOMT The Final Rule classifying dental mercury and dental amalgam was published in the Federal Register on August 4 2009 74 FR 38686 A spokesman for the FDA noting that it is exceedingly rare for such petitions to be granted made it clear that the petition submitted by the IAOMT was the one that influenced FDA policy makers to take this action You confronted us based on the science he said particularly on issues of risk assessment for mercury exposure from dental amalgam IAOMT President Dr Michael Jackson of Fort Worth Texas said in response to todays news We believe the weight of scientific evidence demonstrates that there are unacceptable health risks posed by this product The IAOMT position has always been that dental amalgam the primary source of mercury exposure in the general population should be discontinued especially now that safer materials are so well established in dental practiceThe FDA has scheduled a meeting of an advisory panel of scientists on December 1415 2010 to discuss and make recommendations concerning the scientific issues raised A docket for public comment to the forthcoming panel will be open soon Comments can be submitted at httpwwwregulationsgov docket number FDA2010N0268 The docket is not ready for viewing at this time We will let you know as soon as we get this informationThe panel meeting will focus particularly on the potential risk to vulnerable populations such as pregnant women fetuses and young childrenThe IAOMT wwwIAOMTorg is an academy of medical dental and research professionals dedicated to integrity and safety in health care Safer dentistry has been its main thrust since its founding in 1984

FDA webview writesFDA Panel to Rereview Dental Amalgam Rule06102010Opponents of FDAs position on dental amalgam are moving one step closer to a possible agency redress of last Augusts controversial final rule see earlier story declaring mercurybased dental amalgam safe FDA says it is holding an advisory committee meeting 121415 to discuss several scientific issues that may affect the dental amalgam regulationA Federal Register notice publishing 611 acknowledges several petitions the agency has received about the rule raising concerns on the adequacy of the risk assessment method used to classify dental amalgam the bioaccumulative effect of mercury the exposure of pediatric populations to mercury vapor and the adequacy of the clinical studies on dental amalgam In addition a recent report on risk assessments issued by the National Academy of Sciences titled Science and Decisions Advancing Risk Assessment NAP 2009 proposes new approaches to conducting risk assessments the agency says adding that these may be some of the issues the agency asks the advisory committee to reviewLast month FDA Webview reported that FDA might be preparing to admit its mistake on the final rule One big factor shaping the agencys advisory committee review is new data that were not available when the final rule went to press The data reportedly arent really that new  they just werent considered by FDAs amalgam rule lead reviewer Susan Runner before the rule was finalized These data on extreme toxicity reactivity in infants implanted with amalgam  underpinned a Health Canada decision to recommend against amalgam use in 1995 according to a 91509 47page petition one of two against dental amalgam that are under review at the agencySpeaking for the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology Oklahoma attorney Jim Love Titus Hills author of one of the pending petitions told FDA Webview 610 that while sorely disappointed in the FDAs final rule issued in July 2009 we are pleased and encouraged that FDA has seen fit to reconsider its position by a holding new hearing before an advisory panel of experts We believe there is already adequate science available to demonstrate the unacceptable health risks posed by the use of this product As we have said for many years dental amalgam  the primary source of mercury in the general population  is unsuitable for use as a dental restorative material and should be discontinued

FDA NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTSFor Immediate Release June 10 2010Media Inquiries Dick Thompson 3017967566 dickthompsonfdahhsgovConsumer Inquiries 888INFOFDAFDA Advisory Panel to Review Dental AmalgamAgency to consider risks to vulnerable populationsThe US Food and Drug Administration today announced plans to hold an advisory panel on Dec 1415 2010 to discuss several scientific issues that may affect the regulation of dental amalgam used for direct filling of carious lesions or structural defects in teeth The panel meeting will focus particularly on the potential risk to vulnerable populations such as pregnant women fetuses and young childrenUsed to treat tooth decay dental amalgam is a mixture of metals composed of liquid mercury and a powdered amalgam alloy composed primarily of silver tin and copperOn July 28 2009 the FDA issued a final rule that reclassified dental mercury from a class I device to class II classified dental amalgam as a class II device and designated special controls for dental amalgam mercury and amalgam alloy The special control for the devices is a guidance titled Class II Special Controls Guidance Document Dental Amalgam Mercury and Amalgam AlloySince that time the agency has received several petitions raising various issues relating to the final rule and special controlsThe concerns raised include the adequacy of the risk assessment method used by the FDA in classifying dental amalgam the bioaccumulative effect of mercury the exposure of pediatric populations to mercury vapor and the adequacy of the clinical studies on dental amalgam In addition a recent report on risk assessments issued by the National Academy of Sciences titled Science and Decisions Advancing Risk Assessment NAP 2009 proposes new approaches to conducting risk assessments These may be some of the issues the agency asks the advisory committee to reviewDetails about the advisory panel meeting will be published in the Federal Register on June 11 2010 and is available for advanced viewing today onlyFor more information
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				<title><![CDATA[Brushing Your Teeth Is Good For Your Heart]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=333&amp;month=6&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					
Heres an interesting piece of research from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health University College London

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				<title><![CDATA[Here Come the Stem Cells!]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=332&amp;month=5&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					Bodys Own  Stem Cells Can Lead to Tooth Regeneration
                            source link
                        Work
at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine Holds Promise for a
Biological Substitute for Dental Implants According to Latest Journal
of Dental Research
                        
                           
                        NEW
YORK May 19 2010  A technique pioneered in the Tissue Engineering
and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory of Dr Jeremy Mao the Edward V
Zegarelli Professor of Dental Medicine at Columbia University Medical
Center can orchestrate stem cells to migrate to a threedimensional
scaffold infused with growth factor holding the translational
potential to yield an anatomically correct tooth in as soon as nine
weeks once implanted 
                        People who have
lost some or all of their adult teeth typically look to dentures or
more recently dental implants to improve a toothless appearance that
can have a host of unsettling psychosocial ramifications Despite
being the preferred but generally painful and potentially protracted
treatment for missing teeth nowadays dental implants can fail and are
unable to remodel with surrounding jaw bone that undergoes necessary
changes throughout a persons life
                        
  
    
  
  
    
      Human molar scaffolding from the lab of Dr Jeremy Mao
    
  

An animalmodel study has shown that by homing stem cells to a
scaffold made of natural materials and integrated in surrounding
tissue there is no need to use harvested stem cell lines or create an
environment outside of the body eg a Petri dish where the tooth is
grown and then implanted once it has matured The tooth instead can be
grown orthotopically or in the socket where the tooth will integrate
with surrounding tissue in ways that are impossible with hard metals or
other materials
quotThese findings represent the first report of regeneration of
anatomically shaped toothlike structures in vivo and by cell homing
without cell delivery Dr Mao and his colleagues say in the paper
quotThe potency of cell homing is substantiated not only by cell
recruitment into scaffold microchannels but also by the regeneration
of periodontal ligaments and newly formed alveolar bonequot
This study is published in the most recent Journal of Dental
Research the toprated peerreviewed scientific journal dedicated to
the dissemination of new knowledge and information on all sciences
relevant to dentistry the oral cavity and associated structures in
health and disease 
Dental implants usually consist of a coneshaped titanium screw with
a roughened or smooth surface and are placed in the jaw bone While
implant surgery may be performed as an outpatient procedure healing
times vary widely and successful implantation is a result of multiple
visits to different clinicians including general dentists oral
surgeons prosthodontists and periodontists Implant patients must
allow two to six months for healing and if the implant is installed too
soon it is possible that the implant may fail The subsequent time to
heal graft and eventually put into place a new implant may take up to
18 months 
The work of Dr Mao and his laboratory however holds manifold
promise a more natural process faster recovery times and a harnessing
of the bodys own potential to regrow tissue that will not give out
and could ultimately last the patients lifetime

  
    
  
  
    Jeremy Mao DDS PhD
  

A key consideration in tooth regeneration is finding a
costeffective approach that can translate into therapies for patients
who cannot afford or who arent good candidates for dental implants
Dr Mao says Cellhomingbased tooth regeneration may provide a
tangible pathway toward clinical translation 
Dr Ira B Lamster dean of the College of Dental Medicine stated
This research provides an example of what is achievable when todays
biology is applied to common clinical problems Dr Maos research is a
look into the future of dental medicine 
This research was supported by NIH ARRA Funding via 5RC2 DE020767
from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Columbia has filed patent applications relating to the engineered tooth
and through its technology transfer office Columbia Technology
Ventures is actively seeking partners to help commercialize the
technology

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				<title><![CDATA[FDA Ready to Reverse Itself on Amalgam?]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=325&amp;month=5&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					Heres an interesting tiein with the Philadelphia factsheet story The quot47 page petitionquot mentioned in this story was the work of IAOMTFrom FDAwebviewcomFDA Ready to Reverse Itself on Amalgam05192010FDA has never been known to admit it made a mistake but it may be preparing to do so now on last Augusts final rule declaring mercurybased dental amalgam safe One big factor holding it back is likely to be how to save face  how to dressup its reversal in the armor of legal consistency and new data that were not available when the final rule went to press The data reportedly arent really that new  they just werent considered by FDAs amalgam rule lead reviewer Susan Runner before the rule was finalized These data on extreme toxicity reactivity in infants implanted with amalgam  underpinned a Health Canada decision to recommend against amalgam use in 1995 according to a 91509 47page petition one of two against dental amalgam that are under review at the agencyThat weve taken so long to examine those petitions is a good sign for you a CDRH staffer reviewing them reportedly told one of the petitioners recently Another sign according to Consumers for Dental Choice national counsel Charles G Brown is the agencys reported failure to recommend to the City of Philadelphia as requested that it not accede to local dental associations efforts to repeal a bylaw requiring dentists to issue fact sheets to patients warning of possible neurological damage from mercury before amalgam is implanted in their teethInstead Philadelphia Board of Health chairman Donald Schwarz reportedly a friend of FDA principal deputy commissioner Joshua Sharfstein who had final signoff responsibility for the final rule announced to the board at its 513 meeting that FDA had requested he remove no warnings from the fact sheetWe won several other important victories Brown said in a memo to his membership this week The board promised it would make no clandestine attempts to change the fact sheet without public hearings The dentist member of the Board of Health  a promercury dentist who appears to read from a script handed to her by the ADA  excused herself from the meeting altogether appropriately recusing herself from future considerations of the issueFurthermore the board publicly condemned dentists who were misrepresenting the fact sheet as a consent form for amalgam and then denying treatment when parents refused to signWhat form FDAs amalgamissafe reversal might take is a closely held secret In January the agency tersely denied that it was considering a possible proposal to repeal last Augusts rule

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				<title><![CDATA[Philadelphia Fact Sheet Stands, Warnings Intact]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=324&amp;month=5&amp;year=2010]]></link>
				<description><![CDATA[
					Victory in Philadelphia We foil dental association attempt to remove neurological warnings from city fact sheetIn a ringing defeat for the American Dental Association the Philadelphia Board of Health rejected the ADAs strongarmed lobbying tactics and retained neurological warnings on the citys fact sheet at its meeting on May 13 The victory was doublyimportant because the Food and Drug Administration asked the City to hold off weakening the fact sheets language Freya Koss organized a terrific local strategy and grassroots effortThe state and city fact sheet laws in America stand as a testament to the power of the fully informed consumer disclosure of the mercury and its neurological risks to consumers can mark the beginning of the end of amalgam In Philadelphia the fact sheet was working The promercury dentists were complaining that the fact sheets were interrupting the operation of their drillfillandbill dental factories The fact sheet made it necessary for these cutrate dentists actually to talk to parents  and try to convince them that implanting a neurotoxin in their childrens bodies was a good thing Of course many parents are outraged As the battle opened in Americas fourthlargest city in February the stakes for both sides were enormous While we fought for consumers right to know that amalgam contains a risky neurotoxin the promercury dentists asked the City of Philadelphia to throw out the neurological warnings in order to keep parents uninformed  and to keep their socially irresponsible businesses running profitably Then in a power grab of both moral depravity and dubious legality the Pennsylvania Dental Association endorsed cutting off all dental care to children with disabilities if their parents refused to consent to amalgam Board of Health members  perhaps intimidated perhaps in the pocket of the state dental association  appeared poised to cave in and eviscerate the fact sheet Of course such a move would have emboldened the ADA to wreck fact sheets coasttocoast Seeking cover the Boards chair said he would contact his friend Principal Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein at FDA So we began a national campaign to deter FDA from wrecking state fact sheets  and we succeeded Our best argument President Obamas Executive Order directing federal agencies to respect state and local consumer protection laws At that May 13 meeting the Philadelphia health board chairman announced that FDA requested he remove no warnings from the fact sheet We won several other important victories The Board promised it would make no clandestine attempts to change the fact sheet without public hearings The dentist member of the Board of Health  a promercury dentist who appears to read from a script handed to her by the ADA  excused herself from the meeting altogether appropriately recusing herself from future considerations of the issue Furthermore the Board publicly condemned dentists who were misrepresenting the fact sheet as a consent form for amalgam and then denying treatment when parents refused to sign Thanks to our outstanding Philadelphia team led by Freya Koss we successfully defended our rights from the ADA attack Our advocates showed up in force for the Board of Health meetings We had more dentists on our side at the May 13 meeting than the ADA did Even mercuryfree dentists who couldnt come submitted letters of support We plastered the meeting room with our posters which we held up during the meeting and distributed flyers with the neurological warning Luke McConnell taped the February Board meeting Judy and Al Roberson broadened our coalition by alerting disability rights advocates we were delighted when we gained help from Barb Dively of the Acquired Brain Injury Network of Pennsylvania then from German Parodi of Disabled in Action of PA We appreciated everyones hard work on this project We are not done with the Pennsylvania Dental Association  far from it With manifest evidence of discrimination against the disabled we are continuing to pursue justice for the children with disabilities who have been denied dental care under the PDAs policy of strongarming parents into consenting to amalgam 17 May 2010Charles G Brown National CounselConsumers for Dental Choice

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				<title><![CDATA[Philadelphia Dentists Resist Amalgam Fact Sheet]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=323&amp;month=3&amp;year=2010]]></link>
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Philadelphia Dentists Resist Amalgam Fact Sheet 
A proposal for a new fact sheet on dental amalgam stripped of all mention of mercury and its hazards was submitted to a February 18 meeting of the Philadelphia Board of Health by the Pennsylvania Dental Association the Philadelphia County Dental Society and the New Era Dental Society a group of black dental professionals affiliated with the National Dental Association The newly proposed fact sheet is based entirely upon the FDAs 2009 final rule on amalgam classification which stated that amalgam is safe for everyone 
The move to replace the already watereddown mercury warnings in the existing fact sheet is heavily supported by the ADA and the Pennsylvania Dental Association which has been training dentists to be spokespeople in support of amalgam At the Board of Health meeting one of those dentists Dr Andrew Mramor said that he requires parents of the low income children he treats to sign a waiver allowing the use of mercury amalgam or he refuses to treat them Several parents have refused to sign after seeing the word mercury on the fact sheet Dr Mramor added that such parents are unlikely to find another dentist for their children 
Meanwhile an FDA spokesman has told Freya Koss head of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Mercury Free Dentistry that the agency is actively considering rewriting the 2009 amalgam classification rule in response to the Petition for Reconsideration that was submitted by IAOMT along with allied groups and individualslast fall Stating plainly that the Petition was the best organized response to an FDA rule in the agencys history the spokesman acknowledged that our criticisms of methods used to develop the amalgam classification rule were irrefutable He recommended that the Philadelphia Health Department hold off on altering the amalgam fact sheet until the review and revision of the rule is complete No firm timeline for that review has been offered 
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				<title><![CDATA[Author of "Danish Study" Exonerating Mercury in Autism Implicated in Fraud]]></title>
				<link><![CDATA[http://www.iaomt.org/news/index.asp?intReleaseID=322&amp;month=3&amp;year=2010]]></link>
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Source the 
flu casecom
The lead author of a key study used by EU and USA health bodies as evidence 
mercury in vaccines does not cause autism has vanished after it emerged that he 
fraudulently claimed 10 million crowns 18m in funds from Aarhaus University 
in Denmark
According to a statement by the CDC the researcher is Dr Poul Thorsen who 
was also employed by Emory University Atlanta without the knowlege of his 
university according to the Danish media
Police who were called in to investigate by the university after they found 
a 10million crown hole in their budget believe the researcher is in the USA 
living and working in Atlanta
The scientist has worked on a multiphase research project on the cause of 
autism that has been received about 80 million crowns in funding from the CDC 
headquartered in Atlanta since 2002
Poul Thorsen along with Keersten Madsen Meldgaard was the author of a study 
published in 2002 that used data from Danish children to show that there was no 
link between mercury in vaccines and autism
The data in the study called PopulationBased Study of Measles Mumps and 
Rubella Vaccination and Autism and published in the New England Journal of 
Medicine appears to show that autism rates went up after mercury was removed 
from vaccines and was used in many subsequent studies justifying the use of 
mercury
However the study has come under criticism for evidence that data has been 
manipulated to bolster the pro vaccine cause
httpwwwwhaletoabranellhtml
The close links and email communication between Keersten Madsen and CDC 
researcher Dr Diane Simpson have come be fiercely criticised for appearing to 
show that Madsen and Simpson looked for data to suit their theory
httpwwwputchildrenfirstorgchapter5html
The revelation that a key author of key pro thimerosal study has apparently 
vanished over a case fraud involving the CDC funds is sure to reignite the 
dispute about the validity of these studies and the dangers of thimerosal
The CDC an agency belonging to the US Department of Health and Human 
Services has been accused of hiding the relationship between threefold growth 
of vaccinations for US children in the 1990s and the epidemic of autism and 
other neurodevelopmental disorders that began at exactly the same time
Key provaccine studies in The Journal of the American Medical Association 
The American Journal of Preventative Medicine and the American Medical 
Association appearing to show no link between autism and mercury have also been 
based on the Danish data
Also the Danish data was used by a team from the Centers for Disease Control 
working with colleagues at the University of Aarhaus to link autism to difficult 
birth and a family history of mental illness in a study from 2005
The validity of all these studies will also now be called into question
The fraud involving 10 million crowns raises the issue of whether money 
flowing to the Danish researcher from the CDC was a reward for manipulating 
study results 
Swine flu vaccines with thiomersal were administered to millions of people 
including babies and children this autumn as part of the CDC and WHO pandemic 
management plans in spite of a lack of clinical data
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