Proxy fight! We challenge Dentsply & Danaher to stop manufacturing mercury fillings

With the FDA advising that mercury fillings "may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetus," www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/amalgams.html, it’s time for the manufacturers of this toxic device to switch to non-toxic alternatives.

The two largest manufacturers are Danaher (which owns Kerr), based in Washington D.C. and Dentsply, based in York, Pennsylvania.  Both are publicly traded, and hence must answer (in theory) to their shareholders.

So here’s the big news: in early December shareholders filed Resolutions to each of these companies to write reports on how they could exit from making mercury-based dental products.  If the companies ignore their own shareholders -- as expected -- then folks, we are going to have an old-fashioned floor fight at their annual meetings this spring.

Leading this fight, I am proud to say, are several Catholic religious orders, including the Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk and the Dominican Sisters of Hope (they have pension funds), along with Boston Common Asset Management, an employee-owned social investment firm, www.bostoncommonasset.com.  The leaders are, respectively, Valerie Heinonen of the Sisters of Ursula and Steve Heim of Boston Common Asset Management.  You can thank Sister Valerie at  HeinonenV@juno.comand Steve Heim at sheim@bostoncommonasset.com,  Working with Consumers for Dental Choice to initiate this project was the Mercury Policy Project ( Michael Bender), www.MercuryPolicy.org.

 This project began via educational work (of me) by Dr. Mark Mitchell of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, www.environmental-justice.org -- the leading state organization focused on environmental injustice.  Earlier this year, Consumers for Dental Choice recognized Mark as Nonprofit Advocate of the Year.  Dr. Mitchell enlisted Dr. Rich Liroff of the Investor Environmental Health Network, www.iehn.org, who in turn broadcasted an appeal for help to his membership.

Sister Valerie points to the growing injustice of who still gets mercury fillings.  Although we all used to get them, increasingly -- according to an NAACP witness testifying before the old Burton committee of Congress -- we have “choice for the rich and mercury for the poor.”  If those with both money and knowledge get mercury-free dentistry, so should everyone.

Yes, you can help -- by finding shareholders to support this splendid resolution.  Do you or does your pension own stock in Danaher (DHR on the stock exchanges) or Dentsply (XRAY on the stock exchanges)?  Can you enlist a nonprofit group or government agency which owns stock in DHR or XRAY?  Let me know.

20 December 2008
Charlie

Charles G. Brown, National Counsel
Consumers for Dental Choice
316 F St., N.E., Suite 210 , Washington, DC 20002
Ph. 202.544-6333;  Fax 202.544-6331
charlie@toxicteeth.org
Working for mercury-free dentistry