Petition filed to FDA

Consumers for Dental Choice has filed a new petition calling on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conform with the Minamata Convention on Mercury, says a press release. They were joined by other petitioners including the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry (WAMFD), Asian Centre for Environmental Health, African Centre for Environmental Health, and Mercury Policy Project to amend mercury amalgam rule at 74 FR 38686 to revoke FDA’s official support for ‘change towards use of dental amalgam’- which is contrary to the Minamata Convention on Mercury’s requirement to ‘phase down amalgam use.’ The Minamata Convention requires nations to phase down the use of dental amalgam. The U.S. government signed and accepted the Minamata Convention on 6 November 2013. FDA’s official support for ‘change towards use of dental amalgam’ and its rejection of ‘any change away from use of dental amalgam’ is contrary to the Minamata Convention’s requirement that parties ‘phase down the use of dental amalgam.’ In the early of 2015, representatives of WAMFD had a discussion with the Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) asking him to bring FDA into conformity with the Minamata Convention. Besides this, a month ago, sixty environmental groups sent a letter urging Secretary of State John Kerry to bring FDA into line with the U.S.’s commitment to reduce dental amalgam use. So, it is high time, to start bringing the US government into conformity with the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the commissioner must amend FDA’s mercury amalgam rule