Dentistry is a significant contributor of mercury to the environment
- The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates up to 340 tons of dental mercury are released into the global environment each year.(1)
- Since dental mercury is considered a significant contributor of mercury to the environment,
language was included in the Minamata Convention on Mercury, to “phase down” the use of mercury amalgam fillings. The United States was the first to sign and ratify this international treaty in 2013. (2) - According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), dentists are the largest users of elemental mercury. (3)
- EPA scientist, Alexis Cain testified to the Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, about his published study, which found that when all source points are combined, dental mercury is responsible for contributing close to 30 tons of mercury into the U.S. environment each year. (4)
- While the NYU dental school has started to move away from placing mercury dental fillings. they still remove mercury fillings, which generates significant quantities of mercury contaminated particulate matter. (5)
- A study funded by the American Dental Association found that dentists contribute up to 50% of the mercury found in waste water. (6)
- A study by the New York Academy of Sciences, Pollution Prevention and Management Strategies for Mercury in the New York/New Jersey Harbor, indicated that as much as 40 percent of total mercury loading in the New York/New Jersey harbor and watershed may have come from dental offices.(7)
- According to THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) Dental amalgam has been identified as the largest single source of continuous Hg exposure for members of the general population who possess amalgam fillings, (over 120 million Americans). (8)
- The daily exposure to mercury from these fillings exceeds government safety levels (Richardson et al. 2011).(9)
REFERENCES
1. World Health Organization (WHO), Future use of Dental Restorative Materials
2. United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Minamata Convention on Mercury
3. United States Geological Survey (USGS), Changing Patterns in the Use, Recycling, and Material Substitution of Mercury in the United States
4. Journal of Industrial Ecology, Substance flow analysis of mercury Intentionally used in products in the United States_Alexis_Cain
5. Mark Wolffe, NYU position on amalgam use
6. Journal of Water, Air and Soil Pollution, “An assessment of mercury amalgam waste in dental waste water in the US.”
7. New York Academy of Sciences, Pollution Prevention and Management Strategies for Mercury in the New York/New Jersey Harbor
8. World Health Organization (WHO), 2003 ELEMENTAL MERCURY AND INORGANIC MERCURY COMPOUNDS – HUMAN HEALTH ASPECTS
9. Mark Richardson, PhD. Science of the total environment, Mercury exposure and risks from dental amalgam in the US population, post-2000
