Washington, DC, Oct. 7, 2005. As part of the first ever National Mercury Amalgam Awareness Week (Oct. 3-10, 2005), Consumers for Dental Choice sponsored a Mercury Vapor Testing Day in the Nation’s Capital. Despite the threat of cancellation due to inclement weather, 30 people braved the remnants of Hurricane Rita to have their mercury vapor levels from their amalgam fillings tested and to have their questions answered by qualified health professionals. A Monday morning broadcast about the event on the local Pacifica radio station caught many people’s attention. It was evident from conversations that many attendees, like most of the American public, had been unaware that ‘silver’ amalgam dental fillings contained mercury – let alone that they could be a major source of daily exposure to this toxic metal.
Amanda Ganong, Consumer’s Director of Programs and organizer of the event, was interviewed about the awareness week on the “Deborah Ray Show” and “Let’s Talk Nutrition,” which generated numerous phone calls and email requests. Speaking about the vapor testing day, she said, “We’re very happy with the turn out because if we educate even one person about mercury fillings, it can have a broad impact if they then share the information with others – and I estimate that we’ve educated well over 500 people through distribution of educational flyers for the event and advertisements in newspapers and on the internet.”
John Marshall Park was the perfect venue for the event as it is nestled between the District’s Superior Courthouse and the Canadian Embassy, one block north of the National Mall. The Canadian Flag just next door was a prominent reminder of warnings issued by that government’s health department in 1996, covering placement restrictions for pregnant women and children, people with kidney disease, and those with dissimilar metal restorations in their mouths – warnings similar to those that Consumers for Dental Choice has been asking the US FDA to issue for years.
Many thanks to Tim Wilson of Science Formulas and Drs. Eugene Sambataro, DDS of Maryland and Robert Johnson, DMD of Virginia for lending their time and their professional expertise to the event. Thanks also to Linda Cifelli, RN of Virginia DAMS for coming all the way from Williamsburg to share her story of recovery from dental amalgam mercury poisoning with event attendees, and to Johann Wehrle, our legal intern, for his patience and diligence in recruiting participants in the soggy weather.
Consumers for Dental Choice is helping to organize a Congressional Mercury Vapor Testing Day on November 18 which is being sponsored by Representative Diane Watson (D-CA), author of HR 4011, the federal bill to phase out dental amalgam.