PING: CZ, Do you like apples ?

Quoted message said:

Subject: PING: CZ, Do you like apples ?
From: W_B [email hidden]
Date: 4/5/2004 9:11 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id: <[email hidden]>

The facts about the Hg load are in the news today.

The major worldwide Hg load contributors are:

Forest fires and Volcanoes 55%
China industries 22%

American coal burning electrical plants contribute <1% to the
*global* Hg environmental load.

How do you like them apples ?

methinks you are trying to excuse the dentists.

http://tuberose.com/Mercury_Disposal.html

Dental Mercury Disposal
Metal Detoxification The Scientific Case Against Amalgam Homocysteine Redox
Find A Mercury-Free Dentist Truth Decay Book
....if they have as few as 4 amalgam fillings present in their mouth, the
average person's saliva is so high in mercury they cannot legally spit into the
toilet. Their saliva exceeds the EPA maximum legal municipal discharge standard
for mercury..--David Kennedy D.D.S.

http://www.toxicteeth.org/pressRoom_releases_031903_polluters.cfm

THE NATION
Dentists Biggest Mercury Polluters, New Study Finds
Health: The metal is widely used in fillings and ends up in the nation's waste
water.
By ELIZABETH SHOGREN
TIMES STAFF WRITER
June 6, 2002

WASHINGTON - Coal-fired power plants are notorious for being the biggest source
of mercury pollution in the air. But now, new attention is being directed at
another, much less known source of mercury contamination in water--dentists.

A new report shows that dentists are the largest single source of mercury
pollution in waste water funneled into the nation's treatment plants.

Mercury is a potent toxin that can damage the human brain, spinal cord, kidney
and liver, and is especially dangerous for unborn children. While many other
sources of mercury pollution have drastically cut their use of the heavy metal,
dentists continue to use it widely in fillings.

"Pretty much all the mercury they're using gets released into the environment.
Why aren't they doing more to reduce that use?" said Michael Bender, director
of the Mercury Policy Project, a foundation-funded group that was one of the
authors of the study.

Power plants emit mercury into the air and it falls into streams and rivers.
Many dentists flush it down their drains and it goes directly into waste-water
treatment plants, which do not effectively filter it from the water.

In a statement responding to the report, the American Dental Assn. said it was
aware that some particles from fillings end up in waste water, and it urges
dentists to follow proper procedures for handling and recycling the composite
used for fillings, which they refer to as "amalgam." But the association argued
that the mercury from their fillings remains in a form that is not harmful to
humans.

"However, a 1996 study found that when amalgam particles were subjected to
simulated waste-water treatment processes, no soluble mercury was detected,
even at a concentration of 1 part per billion," according to the statement.

The group stressed that it was currently implementing a new plan to address the
problem.

The new report's authors said that dentists, through voluntary or mandatory
measures, should trap their waste mercury before it flows into plumbing
fixtures that have been contaminated with mercury for years.

The report referred to a 2001 study by the Assn. of Metropolitan Sewerage
Agencies that evaluated seven major municipal waste-water treatment plants and
determined that dental uses were "by far" the greatest contributors to the
mercury reaching their facilities. They were responsible for 40% of the load,
three times more than the next largest contributor.

Several other countries regulate releases of dental mercury. In Canada, a new
standard requires dentists to trap the pieces of filling before they go down
the drain. The goal is to reduce releases by 95% by 2005.

In May, the New Hampshire Legislature became the first in the nation to pass
legislation governing disposal methods for dental mercury.

The California Assembly considered a measure to phase out the use of mercury in
fillings but did not adopt it.

The report suggests that mercury in dentistry has become the exception while
other major users of mercury have changed their practices.

In 1985 dental facilities used 3% of all the mercury used nationwide. Last
year, although dentists used less mercury, their use accounted for 20% of all
uses. Only two other industries--wiring devices and switches and
chloralkali--used more.

Gina Solomon, a physician who focuses on the health effects of mercury for the
Natural Resources Defense Council, said that there was still controversy about
whether the fillings put dental patients at risk. And she stressed that those
who have such fillings should not get them removed, because taking them out
heightens the chance of exposure.

However, she said the science is clear that the mercury that goes down the
drain can end up in the food chain.

"There is scientific consensus that mercury that ends up in the waste water and
water bodies will accumulate in the fish and pose a direct human health problem
to people who eat the fish; that is uncontroversial and is something that can
be fixed," Solomon said.

If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at
www.latimes.com/archive. For information about reprinting this article, go to
www.lats.com/rights.

Copyright 2002 Los Angeles Times

http://tinyurl.com/279q5

http://tinyurl.com/3apcv

http://tinyurl.com/2cpaw

Boston Globe
Mercury Report Names Dentists As Major Polluters

By Beth Daley,
Boston Globe Staff

http://boston.com/...

The common dentist office practice of flushing old mercury-containing fillings
down the drain makes dentists the single largest discharger of the toxic metal
into the nation's wastewater treatment plants, according to a national study by
a Boston-based public health group. Most of the mercury is eventually
discharged into bodies of water.

In a time that everyone from hospitals to coal-burning power plants are taking
steps to reduce emissions of mercury, Health Care Without Harm, along with
other environmental groups, is calling on dentists to follow suit. US dentists
still use about 40 tons a year of mercury to make silver fillings. While the
fillings may be fine for years in people's mouths, the report sponsors' say,
they spend a much longer time in the environment, where they can break down.

''In the last seven years, hospitals in Greater Boston have reduced mercury
pollution,'' said Bill Ravanesi, campaign director of Health Care Without Harm,
one of the seven sponsors of the report ''Dentist The Menace?'' He is calling
for dentists to use separation devices to capture the mercury before it is
washed away.

***''Everyone is doing their part, but the dental industry hasn't reduced their
pollution at all,''***** Ravanesi said.

Mercury is a naturally occurring metal, but it can do nerve and brain damage in
certain forms and harm fetuses if pregnant women ingest it. Alice in
Wonderland's ''Mad Hatter'' was based on milliners who suffered from mental
problems after using mercury to soften felt.

For the past 150 years, dentists have used an inexpensive and durable amalgam
of mercury, silver, tin, copper, and zinc to fill cavities, with mercury as the
main ingredient. Critics for years have argued that people with mercury
fillings can become ill, but the scientific community still considers the
fillings safe to use.

Although some dentists still use mercury-based fillings, the use of white
plastic composites is increasing.

There has been little discussion on the dangers of washed-away fillings until
now.

****Yesterday, American Dental Association officials said the fillings pose
little danger to the environment because the alloy doesn't break down.****

(LIES from organized mdicine and dentistry)

Officials there said they don't oppose in-office devices to prevent mercury
from going down the drain, but said it's hardly necessary.

''It's a very stable material,'' said Dan Meyer, director of science for the
American Dental Association. ''We have an ethical and moral obligation to do
good, and we would never do anything to cause harm to the public.''

(WOW!!!!)

Do see:

http://www.wholisticresearch.com/info/artshow.php3?artid=20

Still, the report's sponsors, who include the Mercury Policy Project in Vermont
and Clean Water Action in Boston, say evidence exists that the alloy does break
down, releasing mercury into the environment. For around $50 a month, the
report's author estimates, dentists could capture and recycle the mercury from
old fillings.

''It can cost the price of a filling each month to fix,'' said Michael Bender
of the Mercury Policy Project and author of the report.

New England is now one of the most aggressive in reducing mercury use. Two
years ago, New Hampshire became the first state in the country to ban the use
of mercury in thermometers. Last summer, Massachusetts public health officials
urged young women and children under age 12 to stop eating most fish from the
state's lakes and streams. Meanwhile, a first-of-its-kind mercury law in New
Hampshire calls for rules for dentists to trap their mercury.

In 1985, dentists were about the sixth-largest user of mercury, behind
batteries and factories that use it to produce chlorine, paint, and measuring
instruments, according to the report. Now, with mercury in many products
outlawed, phased-out, or reduced, dentists are the third-largest user of
mercury, behind the makers of wiring devices and switches, and chlorine. The
report says dentists use about 44 tons of mercury each year, most of which is
eventually released into the environment.

''To me, it's plain and simple,'' says G. Robert Evans, a dentist with West
Newton Dental Associates. Evans said he gave up using mercury in fillings close
to 20 years ago. ''It's going to accumulate in the environment if we don't keep
it out. So I keep it out.''

This story ran on page A3 of the Boston Globe on 6/5/2002. Copyright 2002 Globe
Newspaper Company.

http://www.epa.gov/toxteam/potwp2.htm

http://www.fluoridealert.org/news/1102.html

Massachusetts Dental Society "Honored" with Dirty Dozen Award

Latest News from Massachusetts

Fluoride concerns raised by W&S commissioner
Fluoridation controversy in Longmeadow
Water plant remains closed after fluoride malfunction
Marlboro water flooded with fluoride
Fluoridation Accident in Marlboro
Read more news from Massachusetts

Health Care Without Harm
Wednesday 04 December 2002

Massachusetts Dental Society "Honored" with Dirty Dozen Award
Dentists Poisoning Waterways with Mercury

Southborough - The Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) today received a 2002
Dirty Dozen Award spotlighting it as one of the twelve top polluters in the
Commonwealth for unregulated mercury discharges. In the process of restoring
teeth with so-called "silver" fillings - actually 50% mercury - dentists nation
wide use approximately 40 metric tons of mercury each year, most of which is
eventually released into the environment.

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can affect the brain, spinal cord, kidneys
and liver. One in 10 reproductive-age American women carry enough mercury in
their blood to pose a threat of neurological damage to the fetus if they got
pregnant, according to a 2001 Centers for Disease Control & Prevention study.

"While many other industries, including hospitals, are phasing out the use of
mercury products, dentists continue to use large amounts of mercury and dispose
of it improperly. We call on the MDS, and on dentists everywhere, to pledge to
stop polluting our environment and endangering our health," said Tiffany
Skogstrom of Health Care Without Harm.

In 2001, the MDS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Executive
Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) for the ‘Reduction of the Release of
Mercury’. The MOU focused on educational outreach to dentists, developing
dental amalgam recovery systems, and creating a program to reduce the release
of mercury. Despite this agreement, dentist offices continue to be the single
largest source of mercury in Massachusetts, discharging 36 pounds or 13% of
mercury that enters Massachusetts Bay each year.

“The MDS should require dentists to capture mercury with a filter before it
enters waterways,” said Jay Rasku of the Toxics Action Center. Once in
waterways, mercury bioaccumulates in fish, prompting the DPH to advise women of
child-bearing age and children under 12 against eating fish caught in the
state. “We also call on the EOEA to meet its zero emissions goal by imposing
mandatory actions for mercury reduction in dentistry, not voluntary
programs.”

"Although there is substantial scientific evidence that mercury is dangerous to
the environment and human health, the MDS is not implementing safety measures
that would require dentists to trap and recycle this toxic metal," said Brent
Baeslack, a representative from the Merrimack Valley Environmental Coalition.

Fortunately, alternative filling materials are available, and there are cost
effective devices to properly manage waste dental mercury. "For about $50 a
month, slightly less than the cost of a single filling, dentists could stop
mercury from going down the drain," said Baeslack.

The sixth annual Dirty Dozen Awards spotlight twelve of the Commonwealth’s
top polluters. These sites pose a significant threat to public health and the
environment and need immediate action by industry and/or government officials.
The Dirty Dozen Awards were selected from a set of nominations by a five-member
panel of environmental and public health professionals.

Apples - organic (which are getting harder and harder to find these days)
Anth

"W_B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The facts about the Hg load are in the news today.

The major worldwide Hg load contributors are:

Forest fires and Volcanoes 55%
China industries 22%

American coal burning electrical plants contribute <1% to the
*global* Hg environmental load.

How do you like them apples ?

--

W_B

Take out the G'RBAGE
[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Subject: Re: CZ, Do you like apples ?
From: "Anth" [email hidden]
Date: 4/7/2004 2:05 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id: <[email hidden]>

Apples - organic (which are getting harder and harder to find these days)
Anth

"W_B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The facts about the Hg load are in the news today.

The major worldwide Hg load contributors are:

Forest fires and Volcanoes 55%
China industries 22%

American coal burning electrical plants contribute <1% to the
*global* Hg environmental load.

How do you like them apples ?

--

W_B

The denstists remain in denial and it is everyone elses' baby.

http://tuberose.com/Mercury_Disposal.html

Dental Mercury Disposal
Metal Detoxification The Scientific Case Against Amalgam Homocysteine Redox
Find A Mercury-Free Dentist Truth Decay Book
....if they have as few as 4 amalgam fillings present in their mouth, the
average person's saliva is so high in mercury they cannot legally spit into the
toilet. Their saliva exceeds the EPA maximum legal municipal discharge standard
for mercury..--David Kennedy D.D.S.

Mercury is a persistent, bioaccumulative toxin that poses a risk to human
health, wildlife and the environment. While there has been considerable public
debate about the potential health effects of mercury fillings, little attention
has been focused thus far on the disposal of waste dental mercury. While
mercury is a naturally occurring metallic element, human activities--including
the use of dental fillings--contribute 70% of emissions into the environment.
Levels of mercury in the environment have increased dramatically, with a
twenty-fold increase over the past 270 years. Today, dentists are the third
largest user of mercury in the U.S., consuming over 40 metric tons of mercury
annually with most eventually released into the environment. In 1993, it was
estimated that 150 million amalgam restorations were placed in the USA,
weighing over 75 tons, by 175,000 U.S. dentists, and that there are 22 billion
existing amalgam restorations that will eventually have to be removed,
according to the A.D.A. The average dentist's office produces up to a kilogram
of mercury waste every year, according to estimates. Environment Canada says it
all adds up to about two tons of toxic material--the same amount that
coal-fired power plants spew into the air.

The name "mercury-free dentist" is misleading. The so-called mercury free
dentist releases enough mercury in one day to contaminate a 22,000-acre lake to
above acceptable discharge levels. The largest single source of dental mercury
released into the environment comes from the removal of existing amalgams from
patients during dental procedures (replacement fillings, crowns, extractions,
etc). Extracted amalgam materials are either rinsed down the drain--usually to
a municipal wastewater system (or septic system) where it can build up in
sewage sludge--deposited in biomedical waste containers destined for waste
incineration or autoclaves, or placed in the trash that is later disposed in
municipal waste landfills or incinerators. It is estimated when an amalgam is
prepared for a filling, 10% is leftover and is often simply discarded. The
"over-pack" portion is either drawn into the dental clinic's waste vacuum
system or is expelled by the patient into a chair side cuspidor. But the
majority of dental mercury waste is discarded into wastewater systems.

Dental clinics remain largely unregulated for mercury disposal and extracted
amalgam materials are often rinsed down the drain, usually to a municipal
wastewater system or septic systems, deposited in biomedical waste containers
destined for waste incineration, or placed in trash disposed in a municipal
waste landfill or incinerator. The American Dental Association (ADA), as well
as many state dental associations, have refrained from promoting, and have even
opposed mercury reduction efforts. Following the lead of the ADA, the U.S.
dental establishment has consistently resisted efforts to reduce releases of
mercury and follow suit with the rest of the health care establishment. The ADA
refuses to encourage its members to assume responsibility for curtailing dental
mercury pollution, opting instead to obstruct initiative at the state and local
levels. Many countries, especially in Western Europe and Canada--and a small,
but growing number of local and state governments in the U.S.--now recognize
dental mercury waste as a serious environmental pollutant and are enacting both
voluntary guidelines and stringent policies to curtail its release.

Studies by EPA and numerous municipalities document that most municipal
wastewater treatment plants have high levels of mercury with significant
contributions from dental clinics. Recently, the Association of Metropolitan
Sewerage Agencies (AMSA) evaluated seven major municipal wastewater treatment
plants (WWTPs) to determine and quantify sources of mercury coming into these
facilities. AT all plants, dental uses were identified as "by far" the greatest
contributors to the mercury-load, accounting on average for 40% of the load,
more than three times the next largest source.

There is little debate that municipal wastewater treatment systems are not
designed to treat hazardous waste or reduce mercury loadings to the
environment. Consequently, all mercury in the influent wastewater remains
unattenuated in municipal treatment plants, and either settles out in the grit
chamber or residuals (sludge, or biosolids), or passes through the system to be
discharged into a downstream lake, river or ocean along with the "treated"
effluent. Moreover, conditions at certain points within the wastewater
treatment process are perhaps favorable for promoting methylation of mercury
within the wastewater or sludge. This has the effect of converting a portion of
the influent mercury into its more toxic, organic form (methyl mercury), which
is also highly soluble and able to pass through the facility to the receiving
water body.

Mercury amalgam particles that drop out of wastewater in the grit chamber (the
initial coarse settling chamber at the front end of a treatment plant), are
most commonly landfilled along with all other filtered materials. The residual
sludge, which is the primary byproduct of the treatment process, is frequently
incinerated. Incineration releases the mercury directly into the atmosphere as
mercury vapor.

Studies indicate that as much as 95% of the mercury load to the treatment
plants is released to the atmosphere during sludge incineration, with the
balance discharged to a body of water or landfilled. When not landfilled or
incinerated, biosolids are used in fertilizers or other soil additives.
Agricultural sludge application can lead to mercury contaminated soil and
groundwater, as well as direct volatilization to the atmosphere. Regulations
for land application of sludge in the U.S. are far less restrictive for mercury
and other heavy metals than many other countries. This practice has not been
thoroughly studied and is further hindered by the fact that both state and
federal agencies responsible for regulating sludge-spreading are also often
responsible for promoting it.

Mercury In Traps, Drains, and Sewer Pipes
Following years of use, the plumbing in dental offices can become significantly
laden with dental amalgam. Studies show that high levels of mercury are
accumulating in sewer pipes from dental offices, presenting potential liability
concerns to land owners. Amalgam particles trapped in dental office plumbing
and drainage pipes have been found to provide a continuing source of dissolved
mercury to wastewater over time. The slow dissolution of mercury amalgam in
dental office plumbing, as well as in the municipal sewer system, serves as a
long-term source of mercury to the receiving facility and is eventually
released to the environment.

Mercury In Septic Systems
Where no publicly operated treatment works exist, dental clinics frequently
rely on septic systems for wastewater disposal. Similar to municipal treatment
plants, the potential for methylation exists in the anaerobic environment of a
septic tank, which can lead to the production and discharge of methyl mercury
at private disposal fields. At these locations, the mercury path to the
environment is more direct and the soils and groundwater surrounding the drain
fields of these systems can become contaminated with mercury. Significant
levels of mercury contamination have been detected both within septic tanks as
well as adjacent to, and downgradient from, disposal fields receiving
wastewater from dental clinics. The drain fields of septic systems receiving
dental wastewater have the potential to serve as point sources of mercury
contamination to the underlying and adjacent soils and groundwater, and may
potentially convey environmental liability on to the property owner, and/or
wastewater generator.

Solid Waste
Mercury-bearing scrap amalgam is often discarded into the trash and leaves the
dental office by solid waste hauler and is either landfilled or incinerated.
The mercury in amalgam disposed in a landfill may break down over time and
co-mingle with landfill leachate. Depending on the landfill, mercury may enter
groundwater, contaminate underlying soils, volatilize into the vapor phase and
dissipate to the atmosphere or, when landfill leachate is sent to a wastewater
treatment plant, is taken up in sewage sludge that is either re-landfilled or
distributed. Also, formulation and release of methane gas from landfilled
mercury may contribute to production of mercury emissions within the landfill.

Biomedical Waste Incineration/Sterilization
Waste dental mercury is often disposed into the biomedical waste container. A
recent survey found that 25 to 30 percent of dentists place their contact
amalgam wastes into biomedical "red bags" that are often incinerated. Medical
waste is a special type of regulated waste due to the potential presence of
bacteria and pathogens, which is separated and handled differently from other
solid wastes. If any amalgam has come in contact with the mouth or has been
removed from or with teeth, it is considered contact amalgam and is often
discarded into biomedial waste. So-called "red-bag" waste is often sent to a
medical waste incinerator, where the mercury is vaporized into the atmosphere.
Some handlers of biomedical waste sterilize it with high temperature and
pressure steam in a process known as "autoclaving." Oftentimes, these
facilities operate with no emission controls or standards, which result in
mercury vapor releases, and discharge of effluent to the local wastewater
system following sterilization. The residuals from this process are landfilled.

Recycling
A small but increasing number of dental clinics are beginning to have their
mercury recycled. Where collection systems are in place, approximately 60% of
all mercury-bearing amalgam waste is captured in coarse filters at chairside,
and 95% or more of the mercury can be cost-effectively captured when an amalgam
separator is added to the system. These programs are, in general, effective and
require only a modest shift in practices, and add a very minor increase in
operating expense. According to recent estimates, an amalgam separator unit
capable of removing both particulates and dissolved mercury can be operated for
between $47.95 - $100.00 per month.

Human Wastes
Amalgam has been determined to be the primary source of mercury in human waste.
After releases from dental offices, human wastes are the next greatest
contributor of dental mercury to waste water treatment plants. In addition,
amalgam fillings are responsible for additional environmental releases of
mercury at the end of life. Each cremation in the U.S. accounts for, on
average, one gram of mercury, due to vaporization of mercury contained in
dental amalgam fillings, being released into the atmosphere.

Solution
It costs less than $50.00 a month, about the cost of placing a single filling
to remove and recycle mercury from amalgams. However, only a small percentage
of dentists nationwide have taken the steps necessary to reduce use and release
of this dangerous toxin. Clearly, the time has come for U.S. dental
associations--as other health care industry associations are already doing--to
embrace the fundamental credo of "first do no harm," by taking responsibility
to reduce amalgam use and mercury pollution. Environmentally responsible dental
clinics reduce the use of mercury where feasible, employ best management
practices and operate amalgam separators to get the highest capture rates of
dental mercury. This approach protects human health and the environment while
requiring only a modest, compact, and available shift in clinical practices and
expenses.

The MAXIMUM Separation System is a dental amalgam separator that removes dental
amalgam, thus removing mercury from dental wastewater before it is discharged
into the public sewer system and the environment. A cost effective way for
small and large dental offices and institutions to manage their amalgam waste
is pollution reduction at the source with the use of the MAXIMUM Separation
System. It has been certified to ISO 11143 standard. It can be retrofitted into
existing dental vacuum systems. It is located BEFORE the vacuum pump, thus
removing the amalgam waste before it is agitated by the vacuum pump impellers.
This decreases the release of mercury and reduces wear on the pump.

http://www.toxicteeth.org/pressRoom_releases_031903_polluters.cfm

THE NATION
Dentists Biggest Mercury Polluters, New Study Finds
Health: The metal is widely used in fillings and ends up in the nation's waste
water.
By ELIZABETH SHOGREN
TIMES STAFF WRITER
June 6, 2002

WASHINGTON - Coal-fired power plants are notorious for being the biggest source
of mercury pollution in the air. But now, new attention is being directed at
another, much less known source of mercury contamination in water--dentists.

A new report shows that dentists are the largest single source of mercury
pollution in waste water funneled into the nation's treatment plants.

Mercury is a potent toxin that can damage the human brain, spinal cord, kidney
and liver, and is especially dangerous for unborn children. While many other
sources of mercury pollution have drastically cut their use of the heavy metal,
dentists continue to use it widely in fillings.

"Pretty much all the mercury they're using gets released into the environment.
Why aren't they doing more to reduce that use?" said Michael Bender, director
of the Mercury Policy Project, a foundation-funded group that was one of the
authors of the study.

Power plants emit mercury into the air and it falls into streams and rivers.
Many dentists flush it down their drains and it goes directly into waste-water
treatment plants, which do not effectively filter it from the water.

In a statement responding to the report, the American Dental Assn. said it was
aware that some particles from fillings end up in waste water, and it urges
dentists to follow proper procedures for handling and recycling the composite
used for fillings, which they refer to as "amalgam." But the association argued
that the mercury from their fillings remains in a form that is not harmful to
humans.

"However, a 1996 study found that when amalgam particles were subjected to
simulated waste-water treatment processes, no soluble mercury was detected,
even at a concentration of 1 part per billion," according to the statement.

The group stressed that it was currently implementing a new plan to address the
problem.

The new report's authors said that dentists, through voluntary or mandatory
measures, should trap their waste mercury before it flows into plumbing
fixtures that have been contaminated with mercury for years.

The report referred to a 2001 study by the Assn. of Metropolitan Sewerage
Agencies that evaluated seven major municipal waste-water treatment plants and
determined that dental uses were "by far" the greatest contributors to the
mercury reaching their facilities. They were responsible for 40% of the load,
three times more than the next largest contributor.

Several other countries regulate releases of dental mercury. In Canada, a new
standard requires dentists to trap the pieces of filling before they go down
the drain. The goal is to reduce releases by 95% by 2005.

In May, the New Hampshire Legislature became the first in the nation to pass
legislation governing disposal methods for dental mercury.

The California Assembly considered a measure to phase out the use of mercury in
fillings but did not adopt it.

The report suggests that mercury in dentistry has become the exception while
other major users of mercury have changed their practices.

In 1985 dental facilities used 3% of all the mercury used nationwide. Last
year, although dentists used less mercury, their use accounted for 20% of all
uses. Only two other industries--wiring devices and switches and
chloralkali--used more.

Gina Solomon, a physician who focuses on the health effects of mercury for the
Natural Resources Defense Council, said that there was still controversy about
whether the fillings put dental patients at risk. And she stressed that those
who have such fillings should not get them removed, because taking them out
heightens the chance of exposure.

However, she said the science is clear that the mercury that goes down the
drain can end up in the food chain.

"There is scientific consensus that mercury that ends up in the waste water and
water bodies will accumulate in the fish and pose a direct human health problem
to people who eat the fish; that is uncontroversial and is something that can
be fixed," Solomon said.

If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at
www.latimes.com/archive. For information about reprinting this article, go to
www.lats.com/rights.

http://www.mercurypolicy.org/new/documents/ADAdoc100803.pdf

Jan