Dental Mercury: Dangerous to Pregnant Women and Children in Europe but Safe in the US?

Dorice Madronero offered a grave warning to a 2010 Dental Products Panel of United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA): “As a young expectant mother I know that twice following dental work I miscarried. I know that at the time the dentist gave no warning about a mercury exposure. I know that at no point in my visits to the obstetrician was I warned about a mercury exposure, in the dental fillings or asked about my medical and dental history.” At the same meeting Madronero presented her experiences with dental mercury, one of the Dental Products Panel members supported her concerns about children. Dr. Suresh Kotagal a pediatric neurologist at the Mayo Clinic, concluded: “…I think that there is really no place for mercury in children.” While health agencies inform the public about the possible presence of mercury in certain types of fish and shellfish and recommend that pregnant women and children restrict these food products in their diet, the use of mercury in dentistry continues in the United States without any warnings. Meanwhile, other parts of the world are taking action. While other countries around the world are enacting measures to protect children and women of child-bearing age from the hazards of dental mercury, the US is still allowing this dangerous scenario to continue. Millions of Americans, including children and fetuses, are needlessly exposed to the neurotoxin mercury because of dental amalgam fillings.