Washington, DC— A joint panel of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisers today rejected a FDA report finding that mercury amalgam dental fillings are safe.  Congresswoman Diane E. Watson, who presented testimony to the joint FDA panel and has advocated banning mercury fillings, issued the following statement:

“Today a joint panel of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected a FDA staff white paper concluding that dental amalgams used by millions of patients are safe.  The panelists said that the federal report did not objectively present data on the impact of silver fillings that contain 50% mercury.

“The FDA’s rejection of the staff report signals the beginning of the end of the use of mercury fillings in dentistry.  The FDA has already banned mercury in disinfectants and thermometers, warned against mercury in certain foods, and prohibited the use of mercury in all veterinary products.  The UK prohibits the use of mercury silver fillings for pregnant women, and Scandinavian countries are phasing out its use.  Canada also limits the use of mercury fillings.  The logical next step is to completely ban mercury, one of the most potent neruo-toxins known to man, from use in the mouth literally inches away from the brain.

“Today’s finding by the FDA panels has placed the use of mercury fillings in limbo.  In the meantime, it makes perfect sense for the FDA to take the next logical step and ban the use of mercury fillings in children and pregnant women.  Canada and many European countries have already taken this step.  It’s now time for the U.S. to implement this sensible recommendation.”