FDA admits Mercury in dentistry MIGHT indeed be HARMFUL

Note from Ilena Rosenthal: Another one of the Healthfrauds theories
falling apart. Quackwatch has been behind the propaganda disseminated
on the internet for years regarding this.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060907/...dental_mercury

By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer
48 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Government health advisers rejected a federal report that
concluded dental fillings used by millions of patients are safe,
saying further study of the mercury-laden amalgam is needed.

ADVERTISEMENT

A joint panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers did not
declare the so-called "silver fillings" unsafe. But in a 13-7 vote
Thursday, the advisers said the federal report didn't objectively and
clearly present the current state of knowledge about the fillings.

In a second 13-7 vote, the panelists said the report's conclusions
about safety weren't reasonable, given the quantity and quality of
information currently available.

The FDA had asked the panel of outside advisers to weigh the report, a
review of 34 recent research studies.

The report had found "no significant new information" that would
change the FDA's earlier determination that mercury-based fillings
don't harm patients, except in rare cases where they have allergic
reactions.

But panelists said remaining uncertainties about the risk of so-called
silver fillings demanded further study. In particular, research is
needed on the effect of mercury-laden fillings on children and the
fetuses of pregnant women with fillings.

"There are too many things we don't know, too many things that were
excluded," said Michael Aschner, a professor of pediatrics and
pharmacology at Vanderbilt University and a panel consultant. He cast
two "no" votes.

Panelists also said more study was needed on whether mercury fillings
give off more vapors when they're being placed or removed.

Dr. Ralph Sacco, of Columbia University, said consumers shouldn't
panic and that there was no need to have their amalgam fillings
removed.

The votes were a "start" to sparking greater dialogue and awareness of
the issue, said consumer activist Sara Moore-Hines, 57.

"If we don't want it in our fish, we don't want it in our
thermometers, what is it doing in our heads?" said Moore-Hines, a
Pennsylvania counselor.

She and other activists had pressed the panel to recommend the FDA ban
mercury fillings.

"Do the right, decent, honorable and God-loving thing: There needs to
be an immediate embargo on mercury fillings for everyone, or at least
pregnant women and children, because they are our future," said
Michael Burke, who blamed mercury fillings for the early onset
Alzheimer's disease diagnosed in his wife, Phyllis, in 2004.

Dr. Michael Fleming, a Durham, N.C., dentist and the consumer
representative on the panel, asked the FDA to consider restricting the
use of amalgam in children younger than 6 and in pregnant women. The
activists — dozens attended the two-day meeting — met his proposal
with applause.

"We are going to take the recommendations, your comments, and we will
start evaluating the next steps, with the white paper and this whole
issue of dental amalgam," Dr. Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate
commissioner for science, told the panel.

Amalgam fillings by weight are about 50 percent mercury, joined with
silver, copper and tin. Dentists have used amalgam to fill cavities —
and have argued about their safety — since the 1800s. Today, tens of
millions of Americans receive mercury fillings each year. Amalgam use
has begun to taper off, though, with many doctors switching to resin
composite fillings that blend better with the natural coloring of
teeth.

With amalgam fillings, mercury vapor is released when patients chew
and when they brush their teeth. Significant levels of mercury
exposure can cause permanent damage to the brain and kidneys. Fetuses
and children are especially sensitive.

Scientists have found that mercury levels in the blood, urine and body
tissues rise in conjunction with mercury fillings. However, even among
people with numerous fillings, exposure levels are well below those
known to be harmful, the FDA report said

Ilena Rose wrote:
Note from Ilena Rosenthal: Another one of the Healthfrauds theories
falling apart. Quackwatch has been behind the propaganda disseminated
on the internet for years regarding this.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060907/...dental_mercury

By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer
48 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Government health advisers rejected a federal report that
concluded dental fillings used by millions of patients are safe,
saying further study of the mercury-laden amalgam is needed.

ADVERTISEMENT

A joint panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers did not
declare the so-called "silver fillings" unsafe. But in a 13-7 vote
Thursday, the advisers said the federal report didn't objectively and
clearly present the current state of knowledge about the fillings.

In a second 13-7 vote, the panelists said the report's conclusions
about safety weren't reasonable, given the quantity and quality of
information currently available.

The FDA had asked the panel of outside advisers to weigh the report, a
review of 34 recent research studies.

The report had found "no significant new information" that would
change the FDA's earlier determination that mercury-based fillings
don't harm patients, except in rare cases where they have allergic
reactions.

But panelists said remaining uncertainties about the risk of so-called
silver fillings demanded further study. In particular, research is
needed on the effect of mercury-laden fillings on children and the
fetuses of pregnant women with fillings.

"There are too many things we don't know, too many things that were
excluded," said Michael Aschner, a professor of pediatrics and
pharmacology at Vanderbilt University and a panel consultant. He cast
two "no" votes.

Panelists also said more study was needed on whether mercury fillings
give off more vapors when they're being placed or removed.

Dr. Ralph Sacco, of Columbia University, said consumers shouldn't
panic and that there was no need to have their amalgam fillings
removed.

The votes were a "start" to sparking greater dialogue and awareness of
the issue, said consumer activist Sara Moore-Hines, 57.

"If we don't want it in our fish, we don't want it in our
thermometers, what is it doing in our heads?" said Moore-Hines, a
Pennsylvania counselor.

She and other activists had pressed the panel to recommend the FDA ban
mercury fillings.

"Do the right, decent, honorable and God-loving thing: There needs to
be an immediate embargo on mercury fillings for everyone, or at least
pregnant women and children, because they are our future," said
Michael Burke, who blamed mercury fillings for the early onset
Alzheimer's disease diagnosed in his wife, Phyllis, in 2004.

Dr. Michael Fleming, a Durham, N.C., dentist and the consumer
representative on the panel, asked the FDA to consider restricting the
use of amalgam in children younger than 6 and in pregnant women. The
activists - dozens attended the two-day meeting - met his proposal
with applause.

"We are going to take the recommendations, your comments, and we will
start evaluating the next steps, with the white paper and this whole
issue of dental amalgam," Dr. Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate
commissioner for science, told the panel.

Amalgam fillings by weight are about 50 percent mercury, joined with
silver, copper and tin. Dentists have used amalgam to fill cavities -
and have argued about their safety - since the 1800s. Today, tens of
millions of Americans receive mercury fillings each year. Amalgam use
has begun to taper off, though, with many doctors switching to resin
composite fillings that blend better with the natural coloring of
teeth.

With amalgam fillings, mercury vapor is released when patients chew
and when they brush their teeth. Significant levels of mercury
exposure can cause permanent damage to the brain and kidneys. Fetuses
and children are especially sensitive.

Scientists have found that mercury levels in the blood, urine and body
tissues rise in conjunction with mercury fillings. However, even among
people with numerous fillings, exposure levels are well below those
known to be harmful, the FDA report said

I missed this earlier, Illena, thanks for posting. If this were
encapsulated tobacco, the practice would have stopped long ago. Just
another example of industry dragging its feet while enlisting the
support of its lackey bureacrats.

PeterB

"PeterB" wrote in message
oups.com...

Ilena Rose wrote:
Note from Ilena Rosenthal: Another one of the Healthfrauds theories
falling apart. Quackwatch has been behind the propaganda disseminated
on the internet for years regarding this.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060907/...dental_mercury

By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer
48 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Government health advisers rejected a federal report that
concluded dental fillings used by millions of patients are safe,
saying further study of the mercury-laden amalgam is needed.

ADVERTISEMENT

A joint panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers did not
declare the so-called "silver fillings" unsafe. But in a 13-7 vote
Thursday, the advisers said the federal report didn't objectively and
clearly present the current state of knowledge about the fillings.

In a second 13-7 vote, the panelists said the report's conclusions
about safety weren't reasonable, given the quantity and quality of
information currently available.

The FDA had asked the panel of outside advisers to weigh the report, a
review of 34 recent research studies.

The report had found "no significant new information" that would
change the FDA's earlier determination that mercury-based fillings
don't harm patients, except in rare cases where they have allergic
reactions.

But panelists said remaining uncertainties about the risk of so-called
silver fillings demanded further study. In particular, research is
needed on the effect of mercury-laden fillings on children and the
fetuses of pregnant women with fillings.

"There are too many things we don't know, too many things that were
excluded," said Michael Aschner, a professor of pediatrics and
pharmacology at Vanderbilt University and a panel consultant. He cast
two "no" votes.

Panelists also said more study was needed on whether mercury fillings
give off more vapors when they're being placed or removed.

Dr. Ralph Sacco, of Columbia University, said consumers shouldn't
panic and that there was no need to have their amalgam fillings
removed.

The votes were a "start" to sparking greater dialogue and awareness of
the issue, said consumer activist Sara Moore-Hines, 57.

"If we don't want it in our fish, we don't want it in our
thermometers, what is it doing in our heads?" said Moore-Hines, a
Pennsylvania counselor.

She and other activists had pressed the panel to recommend the FDA ban
mercury fillings.

"Do the right, decent, honorable and God-loving thing: There needs to
be an immediate embargo on mercury fillings for everyone, or at least
pregnant women and children, because they are our future," said
Michael Burke, who blamed mercury fillings for the early onset
Alzheimer's disease diagnosed in his wife, Phyllis, in 2004.

Dr. Michael Fleming, a Durham, N.C., dentist and the consumer
representative on the panel, asked the FDA to consider restricting the
use of amalgam in children younger than 6 and in pregnant women. The
activists - dozens attended the two-day meeting - met his proposal
with applause.

"We are going to take the recommendations, your comments, and we will
start evaluating the next steps, with the white paper and this whole
issue of dental amalgam," Dr. Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate
commissioner for science, told the panel.

Amalgam fillings by weight are about 50 percent mercury, joined with
silver, copper and tin. Dentists have used amalgam to fill cavities -
and have argued about their safety - since the 1800s. Today, tens of
millions of Americans receive mercury fillings each year. Amalgam use
has begun to taper off, though, with many doctors switching to resin
composite fillings that blend better with the natural coloring of
teeth.

With amalgam fillings, mercury vapor is released when patients chew
and when they brush their teeth. Significant levels of mercury
exposure can cause permanent damage to the brain and kidneys. Fetuses
and children are especially sensitive.

Scientists have found that mercury levels in the blood, urine and body
tissues rise in conjunction with mercury fillings. However, even among
people with numerous fillings, exposure levels are well below those
known to be harmful, the FDA report said

I missed this earlier, Illena, thanks for posting. If this were
encapsulated tobacco, the practice would have stopped long ago. Just
another example of industry dragging its feet while enlisting the
support of its lackey bureacrats.

PeterB


They STILL haven't taken care of the tobacco problem. I don't believe in
government controls, but I do believe that if the Government knows something
it is their responsibility to inform.

I wonder what would happen if it were legal to have a class action suit
against the government.

"PeterB" wrote in message
oups.com...

Ilena Rose wrote:
Note from Ilena Rosenthal: Another one of the Healthfrauds theories
falling apart. Quackwatch has been behind the propaganda disseminated
on the internet for years regarding this.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060907/...dental_mercury

By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer
48 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Government health advisers rejected a federal report that
concluded dental fillings used by millions of patients are safe,
saying further study of the mercury-laden amalgam is needed.

ADVERTISEMENT

A joint panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers did not
declare the so-called "silver fillings" unsafe. But in a 13-7 vote
Thursday, the advisers said the federal report didn't objectively and
clearly present the current state of knowledge about the fillings.

In a second 13-7 vote, the panelists said the report's conclusions
about safety weren't reasonable, given the quantity and quality of
information currently available.

The FDA had asked the panel of outside advisers to weigh the report, a
review of 34 recent research studies.

The report had found "no significant new information" that would
change the FDA's earlier determination that mercury-based fillings
don't harm patients, except in rare cases where they have allergic
reactions.

But panelists said remaining uncertainties about the risk of so-called
silver fillings demanded further study. In particular, research is
needed on the effect of mercury-laden fillings on children and the
fetuses of pregnant women with fillings.

"There are too many things we don't know, too many things that were
excluded," said Michael Aschner, a professor of pediatrics and
pharmacology at Vanderbilt University and a panel consultant. He cast
two "no" votes.

Panelists also said more study was needed on whether mercury fillings
give off more vapors when they're being placed or removed.

Dr. Ralph Sacco, of Columbia University, said consumers shouldn't
panic and that there was no need to have their amalgam fillings
removed.

The votes were a "start" to sparking greater dialogue and awareness of
the issue, said consumer activist Sara Moore-Hines, 57.

"If we don't want it in our fish, we don't want it in our
thermometers, what is it doing in our heads?" said Moore-Hines, a
Pennsylvania counselor.

She and other activists had pressed the panel to recommend the FDA ban
mercury fillings.

"Do the right, decent, honorable and God-loving thing: There needs to
be an immediate embargo on mercury fillings for everyone, or at least
pregnant women and children, because they are our future," said
Michael Burke, who blamed mercury fillings for the early onset
Alzheimer's disease diagnosed in his wife, Phyllis, in 2004.

Dr. Michael Fleming, a Durham, N.C., dentist and the consumer
representative on the panel, asked the FDA to consider restricting the
use of amalgam in children younger than 6 and in pregnant women. The
activists - dozens attended the two-day meeting - met his proposal
with applause.

"We are going to take the recommendations, your comments, and we will
start evaluating the next steps, with the white paper and this whole
issue of dental amalgam," Dr. Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate
commissioner for science, told the panel.

Amalgam fillings by weight are about 50 percent mercury, joined with
silver, copper and tin. Dentists have used amalgam to fill cavities -
and have argued about their safety - since the 1800s. Today, tens of
millions of Americans receive mercury fillings each year. Amalgam use
has begun to taper off, though, with many doctors switching to resin
composite fillings that blend better with the natural coloring of
teeth.

With amalgam fillings, mercury vapor is released when patients chew
and when they brush their teeth. Significant levels of mercury
exposure can cause permanent damage to the brain and kidneys. Fetuses
and children are especially sensitive.

Scientists have found that mercury levels in the blood, urine and body
tissues rise in conjunction with mercury fillings. However, even among
people with numerous fillings, exposure levels are well below those
known to be harmful, the FDA report said

I missed this earlier, Illena, thanks for posting. If this were
encapsulated tobacco, the practice would have stopped long ago. Just
another example of industry dragging its feet while enlisting the
support of its lackey bureacrats.

PeterB

If thousands if not millions of us have had amalgams for many years, where
all the sick and dying people? A recent study says if you have 7 fillings,
your body can handle 460 times more Mercury than you absorb every day from
the fillings. There are many more serious things about your body to worry
about.

Robert

I fully believe that there is a subset of human beings who react very
strongly to the mercury in fillings ...









On Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:08:45 -0600, Ilena Rose wrote:

Note from Ilena Rosenthal: Another one of the Healthfrauds theories
falling apart. Quackwatch has been behind the propaganda disseminated
on the internet for years regarding this.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060907/...dental_mercury

By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer
48 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Government health advisers rejected a federal report that
concluded dental fillings used by millions of patients are safe,
saying further study of the mercury-laden amalgam is needed.

ADVERTISEMENT

A joint panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers did not
declare the so-called "silver fillings" unsafe. But in a 13-7 vote
Thursday, the advisers said the federal report didn't objectively and
clearly present the current state of knowledge about the fillings.

In a second 13-7 vote, the panelists said the report's conclusions
about safety weren't reasonable, given the quantity and quality of
information currently available.

The FDA had asked the panel of outside advisers to weigh the report, a
review of 34 recent research studies.

The report had found "no significant new information" that would
change the FDA's earlier determination that mercury-based fillings
don't harm patients, except in rare cases where they have allergic
reactions.

But panelists said remaining uncertainties about the risk of so-called
silver fillings demanded further study. In particular, research is
needed on the effect of mercury-laden fillings on children and the
fetuses of pregnant women with fillings.

"There are too many things we don't know, too many things that were
excluded," said Michael Aschner, a professor of pediatrics and
pharmacology at Vanderbilt University and a panel consultant. He cast
two "no" votes.

Panelists also said more study was needed on whether mercury fillings
give off more vapors when they're being placed or removed.

Dr. Ralph Sacco, of Columbia University, said consumers shouldn't
panic and that there was no need to have their amalgam fillings
removed.

The votes were a "start" to sparking greater dialogue and awareness of
the issue, said consumer activist Sara Moore-Hines, 57.

"If we don't want it in our fish, we don't want it in our
thermometers, what is it doing in our heads?" said Moore-Hines, a
Pennsylvania counselor.

She and other activists had pressed the panel to recommend the FDA ban
mercury fillings.

"Do the right, decent, honorable and God-loving thing: There needs to
be an immediate embargo on mercury fillings for everyone, or at least
pregnant women and children, because they are our future," said
Michael Burke, who blamed mercury fillings for the early onset
Alzheimer's disease diagnosed in his wife, Phyllis, in 2004.

Dr. Michael Fleming, a Durham, N.C., dentist and the consumer
representative on the panel, asked the FDA to consider restricting the
use of amalgam in children younger than 6 and in pregnant women. The
activists — dozens attended the two-day meeting — met his proposal
with applause.

"We are going to take the recommendations, your comments, and we will
start evaluating the next steps, with the white paper and this whole
issue of dental amalgam," Dr. Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate
commissioner for science, told the panel.

Amalgam fillings by weight are about 50 percent mercury, joined with
silver, copper and tin. Dentists have used amalgam to fill cavities —
and have argued about their safety — since the 1800s. Today, tens of
millions of Americans receive mercury fillings each year. Amalgam use
has begun to taper off, though, with many doctors switching to resin
composite fillings that blend better with the natural coloring of
teeth.

With amalgam fillings, mercury vapor is released when patients chew
and when they brush their teeth. Significant levels of mercury
exposure can cause permanent damage to the brain and kidneys. Fetuses
and children are especially sensitive.

Scientists have found that mercury levels in the blood, urine and body
tissues rise in conjunction with mercury fillings. However, even among
people with numerous fillings, exposure levels are well below those
known to be harmful, the FDA report said

Vernon wrote:
"PeterB" wrote in message
oups.com...

Ilena Rose wrote:
Note from Ilena Rosenthal: Another one of the Healthfrauds theories
falling apart. Quackwatch has been behind the propaganda disseminated
on the internet for years regarding this.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060907/...dental_mercury

By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer
48 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Government health advisers rejected a federal report that
concluded dental fillings used by millions of patients are safe,
saying further study of the mercury-laden amalgam is needed.

ADVERTISEMENT

A joint panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers did not
declare the so-called "silver fillings" unsafe. But in a 13-7 vote
Thursday, the advisers said the federal report didn't objectively and
clearly present the current state of knowledge about the fillings.

In a second 13-7 vote, the panelists said the report's conclusions
about safety weren't reasonable, given the quantity and quality of
information currently available.

The FDA had asked the panel of outside advisers to weigh the report, a
review of 34 recent research studies.

The report had found "no significant new information" that would
change the FDA's earlier determination that mercury-based fillings
don't harm patients, except in rare cases where they have allergic
reactions.

But panelists said remaining uncertainties about the risk of so-called
silver fillings demanded further study. In particular, research is
needed on the effect of mercury-laden fillings on children and the
fetuses of pregnant women with fillings.

"There are too many things we don't know, too many things that were
excluded," said Michael Aschner, a professor of pediatrics and
pharmacology at Vanderbilt University and a panel consultant. He cast
two "no" votes.

Panelists also said more study was needed on whether mercury fillings
give off more vapors when they're being placed or removed.

Dr. Ralph Sacco, of Columbia University, said consumers shouldn't
panic and that there was no need to have their amalgam fillings
removed.

The votes were a "start" to sparking greater dialogue and awareness of
the issue, said consumer activist Sara Moore-Hines, 57.

"If we don't want it in our fish, we don't want it in our
thermometers, what is it doing in our heads?" said Moore-Hines, a
Pennsylvania counselor.

She and other activists had pressed the panel to recommend the FDA ban
mercury fillings.

"Do the right, decent, honorable and God-loving thing: There needs to
be an immediate embargo on mercury fillings for everyone, or at least
pregnant women and children, because they are our future," said
Michael Burke, who blamed mercury fillings for the early onset
Alzheimer's disease diagnosed in his wife, Phyllis, in 2004.

Dr. Michael Fleming, a Durham, N.C., dentist and the consumer
representative on the panel, asked the FDA to consider restricting the
use of amalgam in children younger than 6 and in pregnant women. The
activists - dozens attended the two-day meeting - met his proposal
with applause.

"We are going to take the recommendations, your comments, and we will
start evaluating the next steps, with the white paper and this whole
issue of dental amalgam," Dr. Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate
commissioner for science, told the panel.

Amalgam fillings by weight are about 50 percent mercury, joined with
silver, copper and tin. Dentists have used amalgam to fill cavities -
and have argued about their safety - since the 1800s. Today, tens of
millions of Americans receive mercury fillings each year. Amalgam use
has begun to taper off, though, with many doctors switching to resin
composite fillings that blend better with the natural coloring of
teeth.

With amalgam fillings, mercury vapor is released when patients chew
and when they brush their teeth. Significant levels of mercury
exposure can cause permanent damage to the brain and kidneys. Fetuses
and children are especially sensitive.

Scientists have found that mercury levels in the blood, urine and body
tissues rise in conjunction with mercury fillings. However, even among
people with numerous fillings, exposure levels are well below those
known to be harmful, the FDA report said

I missed this earlier, Illena, thanks for posting. If this were
encapsulated tobacco, the practice would have stopped long ago. Just
another example of industry dragging its feet while enlisting the
support of its lackey bureacrats.

PeterB


They STILL haven't taken care of the tobacco problem. I don't believe in
government controls, but I do believe that if the Government knows something
it is their responsibility to inform.

I agree that public disclosure is the most important thing. Regulatory
controls don't work because bureacrats turn into lackeys for industry.
What we need is a legislature with the courage to transfer more public
health costs to the shoulders of industry, so they are incented to
divest themselves of these product lines over time. If risk-adjusted
benefit analysis were a criteria for drug approval, we would see at
least 90% of the drugs on today's market disappear.

I wonder what would happen if it were legal to have a class action suit
against the government.

It's a real tragedy that our gov't has nothing to fear from its real
owners. This is how bureacrats operate within the law but outside the
public trust. There is no reason not to allow class action lawsuits
that waive punitive awards (or cap them), while permitting restitution
that compensates for actual damages. Think about it.

PeterB

Vernon wrote:
"PeterB" wrote in message
oups.com...

Ilena Rose wrote:
Note from Ilena Rosenthal: Another one of the Healthfrauds theories
falling apart. Quackwatch has been behind the propaganda disseminated
on the internet for years regarding this.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060907/...dental_mercury

By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer
48 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Government health advisers rejected a federal report that
concluded dental fillings used by millions of patients are safe,
saying further study of the mercury-laden amalgam is needed.

ADVERTISEMENT

A joint panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers did not
declare the so-called "silver fillings" unsafe. But in a 13-7 vote
Thursday, the advisers said the federal report didn't objectively and
clearly present the current state of knowledge about the fillings.

In a second 13-7 vote, the panelists said the report's conclusions
about safety weren't reasonable, given the quantity and quality of
information currently available.

The FDA had asked the panel of outside advisers to weigh the report, a
review of 34 recent research studies.

The report had found "no significant new information" that would
change the FDA's earlier determination that mercury-based fillings
don't harm patients, except in rare cases where they have allergic
reactions.

But panelists said remaining uncertainties about the risk of so-called
silver fillings demanded further study. In particular, research is
needed on the effect of mercury-laden fillings on children and the
fetuses of pregnant women with fillings.

"There are too many things we don't know, too many things that were
excluded," said Michael Aschner, a professor of pediatrics and
pharmacology at Vanderbilt University and a panel consultant. He cast
two "no" votes.

Panelists also said more study was needed on whether mercury fillings
give off more vapors when they're being placed or removed.

Dr. Ralph Sacco, of Columbia University, said consumers shouldn't
panic and that there was no need to have their amalgam fillings
removed.

The votes were a "start" to sparking greater dialogue and awareness of
the issue, said consumer activist Sara Moore-Hines, 57.

"If we don't want it in our fish, we don't want it in our
thermometers, what is it doing in our heads?" said Moore-Hines, a
Pennsylvania counselor.

She and other activists had pressed the panel to recommend the FDA ban
mercury fillings.

"Do the right, decent, honorable and God-loving thing: There needs to
be an immediate embargo on mercury fillings for everyone, or at least
pregnant women and children, because they are our future," said
Michael Burke, who blamed mercury fillings for the early onset
Alzheimer's disease diagnosed in his wife, Phyllis, in 2004.

Dr. Michael Fleming, a Durham, N.C., dentist and the consumer
representative on the panel, asked the FDA to consider restricting the
use of amalgam in children younger than 6 and in pregnant women. The
activists - dozens attended the two-day meeting - met his proposal
with applause.

"We are going to take the recommendations, your comments, and we will
start evaluating the next steps, with the white paper and this whole
issue of dental amalgam," Dr. Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate
commissioner for science, told the panel.

Amalgam fillings by weight are about 50 percent mercury, joined with
silver, copper and tin. Dentists have used amalgam to fill cavities -
and have argued about their safety - since the 1800s. Today, tens of
millions of Americans receive mercury fillings each year. Amalgam use
has begun to taper off, though, with many doctors switching to resin
composite fillings that blend better with the natural coloring of
teeth.

With amalgam fillings, mercury vapor is released when patients chew
and when they brush their teeth. Significant levels of mercury
exposure can cause permanent damage to the brain and kidneys. Fetuses
and children are especially sensitive.

Scientists have found that mercury levels in the blood, urine and body
tissues rise in conjunction with mercury fillings. However, even among
people with numerous fillings, exposure levels are well below those
known to be harmful, the FDA report said

I missed this earlier, Illena, thanks for posting. If this were
encapsulated tobacco, the practice would have stopped long ago. Just
another example of industry dragging its feet while enlisting the
support of its lackey bureacrats.

PeterB


They STILL haven't taken care of the tobacco problem. I don't believe in
government controls, but I do believe that if the Government knows something
it is their responsibility to inform.

I agree that public disclosure is the most important thing. Regulatory
controls don't work because bureacrats turn into lackeys for industry.
What we need is a legislature with the courage to transfer more public
health costs to the shoulders of industry, so they are incented to
divest themselves of these product lines over time. If risk-adjusted
benefit analysis were a criteria for drug approval, we would see at
least 90% of the drugs on today's market disappear.

I wonder what would happen if it were legal to have a class action suit
against the government.

It's a real tragedy that our gov't has nothing to fear from its real
owners. This is how bureacrats operate within the law but outside the
public trust. There is no reason not to allow class action lawsuits
that waive punitive awards (or cap them), while permitting restitution
that compensates for actual damages. Policy preservation is the real
reason for it.

PeterB

Robert wrote:
"PeterB" wrote in message
oups.com...
Ilena Rose wrote:
Note from Ilena Rosenthal: Another one of the Healthfrauds theories
falling apart. Quackwatch has been behind the propaganda disseminated
on the internet for years regarding this.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060907/...dental_mercury

By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer
48 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Government health advisers rejected a federal report that
concluded dental fillings used by millions of patients are safe,
saying further study of the mercury-laden amalgam is needed.

ADVERTISEMENT

A joint panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers did not
declare the so-called "silver fillings" unsafe. But in a 13-7 vote
Thursday, the advisers said the federal report didn't objectively and
clearly present the current state of knowledge about the fillings.

In a second 13-7 vote, the panelists said the report's conclusions
about safety weren't reasonable, given the quantity and quality of
information currently available.

The FDA had asked the panel of outside advisers to weigh the report, a
review of 34 recent research studies.

The report had found "no significant new information" that would
change the FDA's earlier determination that mercury-based fillings
don't harm patients, except in rare cases where they have allergic
reactions.

But panelists said remaining uncertainties about the risk of so-called
silver fillings demanded further study. In particular, research is
needed on the effect of mercury-laden fillings on children and the
fetuses of pregnant women with fillings.

"There are too many things we don't know, too many things that were
excluded," said Michael Aschner, a professor of pediatrics and
pharmacology at Vanderbilt University and a panel consultant. He cast
two "no" votes.

Panelists also said more study was needed on whether mercury fillings
give off more vapors when they're being placed or removed.

Dr. Ralph Sacco, of Columbia University, said consumers shouldn't
panic and that there was no need to have their amalgam fillings
removed.

The votes were a "start" to sparking greater dialogue and awareness of
the issue, said consumer activist Sara Moore-Hines, 57.

"If we don't want it in our fish, we don't want it in our
thermometers, what is it doing in our heads?" said Moore-Hines, a
Pennsylvania counselor.

She and other activists had pressed the panel to recommend the FDA ban
mercury fillings.

"Do the right, decent, honorable and God-loving thing: There needs to
be an immediate embargo on mercury fillings for everyone, or at least
pregnant women and children, because they are our future," said
Michael Burke, who blamed mercury fillings for the early onset
Alzheimer's disease diagnosed in his wife, Phyllis, in 2004.

Dr. Michael Fleming, a Durham, N.C., dentist and the consumer
representative on the panel, asked the FDA to consider restricting the
use of amalgam in children younger than 6 and in pregnant women. The
activists - dozens attended the two-day meeting - met his proposal
with applause.

"We are going to take the recommendations, your comments, and we will
start evaluating the next steps, with the white paper and this whole
issue of dental amalgam," Dr. Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate
commissioner for science, told the panel.

Amalgam fillings by weight are about 50 percent mercury, joined with
silver, copper and tin. Dentists have used amalgam to fill cavities -
and have argued about their safety - since the 1800s. Today, tens of
millions of Americans receive mercury fillings each year. Amalgam use
has begun to taper off, though, with many doctors switching to resin
composite fillings that blend better with the natural coloring of
teeth.

With amalgam fillings, mercury vapor is released when patients chew
and when they brush their teeth. Significant levels of mercury
exposure can cause permanent damage to the brain and kidneys. Fetuses
and children are especially sensitive.

Scientists have found that mercury levels in the blood, urine and body
tissues rise in conjunction with mercury fillings. However, even among
people with numerous fillings, exposure levels are well below those
known to be harmful, the FDA report said
I missed this earlier, Illena, thanks for posting. If this were
encapsulated tobacco, the practice would have stopped long ago. Just
another example of industry dragging its feet while enlisting the
support of its lackey bureacrats.

PeterB

If thousands if not millions of us have had amalgams for many years, where
all the sick and dying people? A recent study says if you have 7 fillings,
your body can handle 460 times more Mercury than you absorb every day from
the fillings. There are many more serious things about your body to worry
about.

Petey is worried about it because people make money placing amalgams
into teeth.

If they did it for free, I suspect that the issue would be over.

Mark Probert wrote:
Robert wrote:
"PeterB" wrote in message
oups.com...
Ilena Rose wrote:
Note from Ilena Rosenthal: Another one of the Healthfrauds theories
falling apart. Quackwatch has been behind the propaganda disseminated
on the internet for years regarding this.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060907/...dental_mercury

By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer
48 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Government health advisers rejected a federal report that
concluded dental fillings used by millions of patients are safe,
saying further study of the mercury-laden amalgam is needed.

ADVERTISEMENT

A joint panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers did not
declare the so-called "silver fillings" unsafe. But in a 13-7 vote
Thursday, the advisers said the federal report didn't objectively and
clearly present the current state of knowledge about the fillings.

In a second 13-7 vote, the panelists said the report's conclusions
about safety weren't reasonable, given the quantity and quality of
information currently available.

The FDA had asked the panel of outside advisers to weigh the report, a
review of 34 recent research studies.

The report had found "no significant new information" that would
change the FDA's earlier determination that mercury-based fillings
don't harm patients, except in rare cases where they have allergic
reactions.

But panelists said remaining uncertainties about the risk of so-called
silver fillings demanded further study. In particular, research is
needed on the effect of mercury-laden fillings on children and the
fetuses of pregnant women with fillings.

"There are too many things we don't know, too many things that were
excluded," said Michael Aschner, a professor of pediatrics and
pharmacology at Vanderbilt University and a panel consultant. He cast
two "no" votes.

Panelists also said more study was needed on whether mercury fillings
give off more vapors when they're being placed or removed.

Dr. Ralph Sacco, of Columbia University, said consumers shouldn't
panic and that there was no need to have their amalgam fillings
removed.

The votes were a "start" to sparking greater dialogue and awareness of
the issue, said consumer activist Sara Moore-Hines, 57.

"If we don't want it in our fish, we don't want it in our
thermometers, what is it doing in our heads?" said Moore-Hines, a
Pennsylvania counselor.

She and other activists had pressed the panel to recommend the FDA ban
mercury fillings.

"Do the right, decent, honorable and God-loving thing: There needs to
be an immediate embargo on mercury fillings for everyone, or at least
pregnant women and children, because they are our future," said
Michael Burke, who blamed mercury fillings for the early onset
Alzheimer's disease diagnosed in his wife, Phyllis, in 2004.

Dr. Michael Fleming, a Durham, N.C., dentist and the consumer
representative on the panel, asked the FDA to consider restricting the
use of amalgam in children younger than 6 and in pregnant women. The
activists - dozens attended the two-day meeting - met his proposal
with applause.

"We are going to take the recommendations, your comments, and we will
start evaluating the next steps, with the white paper and this whole
issue of dental amalgam," Dr. Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate
commissioner for science, told the panel.

Amalgam fillings by weight are about 50 percent mercury, joined with
silver, copper and tin. Dentists have used amalgam to fill cavities -
and have argued about their safety - since the 1800s. Today, tens of
millions of Americans receive mercury fillings each year. Amalgam use
has begun to taper off, though, with many doctors switching to resin
composite fillings that blend better with the natural coloring of
teeth.

With amalgam fillings, mercury vapor is released when patients chew
and when they brush their teeth. Significant levels of mercury
exposure can cause permanent damage to the brain and kidneys. Fetuses
and children are especially sensitive.

Scientists have found that mercury levels in the blood, urine and body
tissues rise in conjunction with mercury fillings. However, even among
people with numerous fillings, exposure levels are well below those
known to be harmful, the FDA report said
I missed this earlier, Illena, thanks for posting. If this were
encapsulated tobacco, the practice would have stopped long ago. Just
another example of industry dragging its feet while enlisting the
support of its lackey bureacrats.

PeterB

If thousands if not millions of us have had amalgams for many years, where
all the sick and dying people? A recent study says if you have 7 fillings,
your body can handle 460 times more Mercury than you absorb every day from
the fillings. There are many more serious things about your body to worry
about.

Petey is worried about it because people make money placing amalgams
into teeth.

If they did it for free, I suspect that the issue would be over.

I could care less how people make a living, Markey. The issue is
whether a product or medical procedure puts the public at undue risk.
Forensic studies have linked mercury exposure to increased secretion of
amyloid protein and hyper-phosphorylation of a protein referred to as
Tau (1), which means mercury amalgam may be an undue risk for a small
percentage of people. Since you can't know which group you will fall
into before the fact, by the time you do find out, it will be too late.
At a minimum, regulatory oversight should require disclosure that
mercury in amalgam has not been proven safe beyond question. The BDHF
says that "if amalgam were to be presented as a new material today, it
would not be approved by any food and drug administration, on the
precautionary principle."

PeterB

(1) Olivieri, G., Brack, Ch., Muller-Spahn, F., Stahelin, H.B.,
Herrmann, M., Renard, P; Brockhaus, M. and Hock, C. Mercury Induces
Cell Cytotoxicity and Oxidative Stress and Increases b-amyloid
Secretion and Tau Phosphorylation in SHSY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells. J.
Neurochemistry 74, 231-231, 2000.

PeterB wrote:
I could care less how people make a living, Markey. The issue is
whether a product or medical procedure puts the public at undue risk.
Forensic studies have linked mercury exposure to increased secretion of
amyloid protein and hyper-phosphorylation of a protein referred to as
Tau (1), which means mercury amalgam may be an undue risk for a small
percentage of people.


There is even a more basic problem. All amalgams look the same but
they are not of the same quality. A poorly constructed amalgam can
"come apart" over time giving off much more Hg. Some also interact
galvanically with nearby amalgams, or other dental metals which greatly
increases the Hg release.

Finally bacteria on the surface of amalgam can and do methylate the
Hg in some cases. A poorly constructed amalgam is actually porous and
can be invaded by bacteria which can undergo electrochemical reactions
with the amalgam. Methyl Hg is more more toxic