The 27-nation European Union will end the use of amalgam in dentistry in 2025, the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry (WAMFD) has disclosed.
President, WAMFD, Charlie Brown, made the disclosure in a correspondence titled “We win deal to ban amalgam across Europe!” on Thursday, February 8, 2024.
Brown wrote: “We did it: Today, our 14-year campaign resulted in the European Council and Parliament striking a deal to end the amalgam era in the 27-nation European Union!”
He pointed out that, under the deal, which will be formally adopted in the coming months, WAMFD obtained three major wins in the European Union.
He listed these to include:
- Amalgam use ends in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and all other EU countries on January 1, 2025 – just 11 months from now! (The law retains narrow, time-limited exemptions for a few smaller Member States to adjust their insurance.)
- Amalgam manufacturing and imports are phased out on a timetable, cutting off the supply of this mercury product in the EU.
- Dental amalgam exports are banned next year too – so the EU will no longer allow amalgam sellers to dump their toxic product in Africa or Latin America.
Brown added: “When we started our campaign abroad, the EU was the largest user of amalgam in the world and the pro-mercury European dental associations were dug in. We had our work cut out for us. So, we assembled a team from most of the 27 Member States, who kept knocking on government doors. We went to Brussels and Strasbourg repeatedly. We submitted reams of comments to scientific committees, the European Commission, and other decision-makers.
“We outshone the opposition at the pivotal sequence of hearings held by the European Commission. Our persistent campaign won the 2017 EU regulation that banned the use of amalgam in children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers, and then we kept pushing for the victory we won today!
“We had the resources to fight this sustained battle thanks to you. To you, our donors and supporters, I express my sincerest gratitude on behalf of our entire team.
“With momentum on our side, we turn to the United States. Amalgam use is still rampant in the U.S., especially in government programmes that implant this mercury product into soldiers and sailors, American Indians and Native Alaskans, and low-income children and institutionalised individuals. But the U.S. government does pay attention when the EU acts. So, now’s the time to bring this European victory home to the USA!”
Dental amalgam is a dental filling material used to fill cavities caused by tooth decay. It is a mixture of metals, consisting of liquid (elemental) mercury and a powdered alloy composed of silver, tin, and copper.
Dentists have reservations about using dental amalgam because of the elemental mercury content. The release of vapour mercury can be absorbed by the lungs, causing permanent and irreversible damage.
