FDA Reviews Dental Fillings for Mercury Safety…Again
The Food and Drug Administration announced last week that it would review the safety of dental fillings under pressure from consumer and dental groups who are concerned that their mercury content is unsafe for human exposure. But this isn’t the first time the FDA has investigated amalgams, the silvery fillings used in dental procedures: Eighteen months ago, the FDA determined that amalgam fillings are safe, reneging on their 2008 statement that the metallic fillings contain neurotoxins that effect the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses.
Amalgam is a combination of metals (usually silver, copper, tin, and zinc) that’s been commonly used in medicine and dentistry for years. It’s the cheapest type of dental filling, but it releases mercury vapor, which can be absorbed by the body. Human exposure to mercury can cause kidney failure and neurological problems, but it accumulates in the body over time, making it difficult to link exposure with health problems.
The FDA says it investigated scientific reports and research to reach its 2009 conclusion that dental amalgams are safe, but if it doesn’t even trust its own decisions less than two years later, we find it hard to give them our vote of confidence. Do you trust the FDA’s recommendations? Tell us what you think of their flip-flop statements, below:
Post from: BlissTree
FDA Reviews Dental Fillings for Mercury Safety…Again