Eoghan OLionnain CC Flickr

EU-wide mercury ban in children’s fillings

European countries are being urged to implement a ban on using mercury in dental fillings on children which came into effect July 1.

Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that pollutes the environment, gets taken up the food chain and can damage the nervous, renal and cardiovascular systems. This ban aims to protect human health at an early stage of development. Although it has long been heavily used in dentistry, it is easily replaceable.

National plan

Consumer and environmental groups are now calling on EU member states to require dentists to immediately adhere to the new EU-wide regulation banning placement of mercury dental fillings in children, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women.

The new rules require member states to establish a national plan by July 1, 2019, to phase out the use of dental amalgam (metal) in fillings, and the European Commission must, by the middle of 2020, assess the feasibility of phasing it out entirely. The regulations are available in full on the European Union website.

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Author: Simon Weedy

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