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EU
REVIEW INTO SAFETY OF FILLINGS BY DENTISTS
A local
Euro-MP is calling for the use of mercury fillings by local dentists
to be reviewed after the world’s top regulatory agency suggested
they may pose a health risk.
Mercury is used in amalgam fillings that are placed in tens of
millions of teeth worldwide each year. Around 125 tons of mercury is
used each year in dental treatments in the EU alone. Recent
studies have suggested that mercury fillings may have detrimental
affects on the health of some patients. Reported side effects
include impaired kidney and thyroid function, increased risk of
Alzheimer’s disease and other allergic reactions.
After years of insisting the fillings are safe, the US governments
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a health warning about
them. The FDA now claims that the mercury in dental fillings
may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing
children and foetuses. The FDA continues to insist that amalgam
fillings are safe, durable and cost effective and do not pose a risk
of systemic disease, though it advises pregnant women to avoid any
dental intervention. The FDA is now reviewing its rules and
may end up restricting or banning the use of the metal.
Norway and Denmark banned mercury from fillings earlier this year.
Sweden has cut its use by more than 90% over the past decade and
mercury use is heavily restricted in Finland and Japan.
Liberal Democrat Chris Davies, who was assured by the European
Commission 4 years ago that mercury fillings were safe, says there
needs to be a new examination of the safety concerns.
Mr Davies has asked the EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou
to reconsider the evidence in light of the FDA statement. He
said:- “I am keeping an open mind on this subject. The
majority of scientific opinion suggests that mercury fillings are
safe, but it does seem strange that we should be banning mercury
from electrical goods while still allowing it to be put into
people’s mouths.” |
British Gas takes heat away from the vulnerable
IT is not just
the elderly who will suffer this coming winter. Spare a thought for
the 10 million people in the UK who suffer from Raynaud's
phenomenon, a condition in which blood is prevented from reaching
the extremities on exposure to the cold or any slight change in
temperature. Without adequate heat a Raynaud's attack may occur, in
which the fingers and toes turn white, then blue and finally red
when the blood flow is restored. This whole process is
excruciatingly painful. Without heat there is a risk of developing
finger ulcers, gangrene and at worst amputation of their fingers.
So how are these vulnerable people going to cope with their fuel
bills? Probably only by heating certain rooms and this in turn can
lead to greater problems as a Raynaud's attack can be triggered by
moving from a warm room into an unheated room.
There is no cure for Raynaud's and treatments are inadequate due to
the many side effects, so heat is the only way in which people who
have the condition severely can survive. If you have Raynaud's you
need heat all the year round not just in the winter.
Anne Mawdsley MBE, Chief Executive of the Raynaud's & Scleroderma
Association and a sufferer of severe Raynaud's says:- “It is
an absolute disgrace that British Gas are permitted to implement
such a rise without giving thought to those who have a medical
condition for which heat is their only way of alleviating the
problem. Even last winter we were getting calls from people asking
if there was any way in which they could get an allowance towards
their heating bills. I dread to think wat the coming winter will be
like”.
The Raynaud's & Scleroderma Association has a new leaflet containing
Handy Hints on Keeping Warm and also a leaflet of tried and tested
heating aids which are available. These can be obtained by sending
an SAE to The RSA, 112 Crewe Road, Alsager, Cheshire ST7 2JA or by
calling 0800 917 2494 and leaving their details.
Alternatively visit:-
www.raynauds.org.uk. |
