National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
MERCURY DENTAL FILLINGS
Introduced by Alexandria, Va. Branch
Adopted by NAACP delegates at the 2002 National Convention in Houston
- WHEREAS, Mercury is toxic; a human being with mercury toxicity can suffer grave health consequences; and
- WHEREAS, Mercury is such a toxic element that it is being removed from all uses in or affecting the human body, such as vaccines, disinfectants, and thermometers, with the sole exception to date of mercury-based dental fillings; and
- WHEREAS, the major ingredient of so-called "silver" fillings is mercury (43 to 54%); and
- WHEREAS, many health organizations, such as the American Public Health Association, the California Medical Association, and Health Care Without Harm, recommend removing mercury from all health products; and
- WHEREAS, children under 18, pregnant women, and nursing mothers are at particular risk to mercury exposure: and
(a) according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry of the United States Public Health Service, they are at risk because the mercury goes to the still-developing brain of children, through the placenta of the pregnant women to the fetus, and through the breast milk of the nursing woman to the baby;
(b) several authorities, including manufacturers who have issued contraindications and the Government of Canada, warn that children and pregnant women are at particularized risk for exposure to mercury amalgam; and
(c) a health risk exists when mercury dental fillings are placed in human teeth, and, for children and pregnant women.
- WHEREAS, alternatives to mercury-based dental fillings exist, such as resin composite and porcelain; and
- WHEREAS, Medicaid and many third-party payment health plans do not allow consumers to choose alternatives to mercury amalgam, so poor children's only options are mercury fillings or no fillings at all; and
- WHEREAS, low-income people are more likely to have larger numbers of mercury dental fillings; and
- WHEREAS, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators has passed a resolution calling for
(a) full disclosure of the existence and risk of mercury dental fillings;
(b) special protections for children and pregnant women, and
(c) a choice of fillings for low- and moderate-income Americans.
- WHEREAS, a bill sponsored by Congresswoman Diane Watson (D-Calif.) and Dan Burton (R-Ind.) would stop mercury dental fillings being placed in children and pregnant women, provide health warnings for all, and phase out all mercury in dental fillings in five years.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People call for:
- disclosure be required to all dental patients (a) that the main material in so-called silver fillings is mercury (not "silver"), (b) that mercury is highly toxic, and (c) that such fillings constitute a hazardous waste when removed;
- a ban on mercury dental fillings being placed in young children, pregnant women, or nursing mothers;
- all Americans, including families on Medicaid and/or dental insurance plans be given a choice of dental fillings, including the right to choose alternatives to mercury fillings;
- The United States Congress give immediate consideration to the Watson-Burton bill to phase out all mercury in dentistry within five years; and
- State Legislatures to give immediate consideration to legislation comparable to the Watson-Burton Bill.