ROUTINE CHECK UP: The campaigners say the government must set a national objective for halting use of mercury in dental cavities. (COURTESY PICTURE) DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – Health officials and civil society organizations have warned of the dangers from continued use of products containing mercury. They cited cancer, brain damage and kidney failure as some serious illnesses caused by the chemical. Recently, AGENDA Chairperson Prof Jamidu Katima, briefed East African Business Week in Dar es Salaam during an advocacy meeting, on the mercury phase out campaign. He said the mercury is particularly very dangerous to pregnant women and children. Katima said the government must set a national objective for halting use of mercury in dental cavities and other dental restoration. “We need to promote the use of best environmental practices in dental facilities to reduce the release of mercury and its compounds to water and land,” he said. The President of Tanzania Dental Association Dr Lorna Carneiro said water pathways, discharged from wastewater treatment systems from dental clinics, were the main form through which mercury finds its way to the environment. According to Prof Febronia Kahabuka, Senior Lecturer at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science, mercury in dental amalgam, has been used for the past 150 years. She said, “Mercury is among the heavy metals; its emission is enormous with most waste management companies contracting diseases for lack of handling facilities. We need to phase-out mercury amalgam in hospitals and continue to educate the public and create […]
