Mercury dental fillings are not a health concern
A health select agency in New Zealand has decided that mercury fillings should not be banned, as was the goal of Juliet Pratt after handing in a petition.
Ms Pratt had been suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition which did not alleviate until her mercury amalgam fillings were removed.
A petition was then handed to local government by Ms Pratt, detailing her health concerns relating to mercury fillings and how they should no longer be used in dental practices.
The committee, consisting of MPs, came to the decision that the evidence Ms Pratt provided did not prove mercury fillings were of a health concern.
A spokesperson said: “We do not agree that it should be banned or its use phased out. We do not agree that government funding should be provided for removing dental amalgam.”
The decision follows the recent verdict by the United States Food and Drug Administration that amalgam fillings were of no relation to the causes of mercury poisoning.
However, the Green Party were not so trusting of the findings and delivered a report advising the government to take preventative steps, which included limiting its use on children.
The party pointed to the fact that mercury is considered dangerously toxic except for when it is used in a person’s mouth, and urged dentists to use other materials.
