Amalgam's Last Goodbye Approaches
- Details
- Published: Thursday, 13 November 2025 08:27
- Written by Peter Ingle
- Hits: 821
Mark Twain may have said that reports of his death were grossly exaggerated, and dental amalgam too seems to have survived long after its predicted demise. Now, after a considerable period of “winding down” the date has been set for an end to the use of dental amalgam.
Aside from the excitement of COP30 in Brazil, the COP6 of the Minimata Convention has been taking place in Geneva. There the international community has approved the banning of dental amalgam by 2034. The prohibition of a material in use for over 175 years was described as “marking a historic milestone in reducing mercury pollution.” There had been proposals for the ban to take place in 2030 from a bloc of African countries, but other nations objected to that deadline. They included Iran, India and the UK, all of which complained that 2030 was too soon. Agreement was then reached that from 2034 if will be forbidden to manufacture, import or export dental amalgam.
The Minimata Convention on Mercury is the international treaty to protect human health and the environment form the adverse effects of Mercury and mercury containing products.
The WHO considers mercury to be one of the ten substances of greatest concern for public health, and has described it as “toxic to human health.” However to date mercury use in amalgam has only been banned in some countries. The conventions executive secretary Monika Stankiewicz has said that, “Mercury pollution is a scourge.”
In Switzerland, a single company exports most of the mercury that leaves the country. A few years ago 95% of the 20 plus tonnes exported each year was for dental use.
At the conference opening, US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr asked in a video message, how it could be that mercury was considered a danger in batteries, over the counter medicines, and make up, but was allowed in dental fillings.
The conference adopted 21 resolutions aimed at improving protection of the environment and human health from mercury pollution. This includes skin lightening products whose sales have dramatically increased with online sales.
The Minamata Convention provided controls over products containing mercury. At the time of its signing some products were granted limited exemptions including certain types of batteries, compact fluorescent lamps, relays, soaps and cosmetics, and thermometers. Dental amalgam was also regulated under the convention, with its use to be phased down through a number of measures.
You need to be logged in to leave comments.
Report
My comments