Senator Steve Newman, my senator for Bedford County, said to tell it to the FDA. We did tell the FDA in 2006, but they didn't want to listen either, but were forced to because of suits against them.
Senator Mary Whipple from northern Viginia tried to pass a bill to ban mercury thermometers in earlier years, thinking this would be the easiest bill in Virginia. It passed in the Senate, but in the House of Delegates those on the health committee turned it down by one vote. Those voting against it were the doctors. I thought the American Medical Association was trying to get rid of mercury in medical devices, but Delegates here in Virginia must not know this.)
In Virginia
SB 187 Dental amalgams containing mercury; regulations.
Patron - Yvonne B. Miller (all patrons) ..... notes
Summary as introduced:
Board of Dentistry regulations on dental amalgams containing mercury. Requires the Board of Dentistry to promulgate regulations for the appropriate and safe use of dental amalgams containing mercury. The regulations must include, but need not be limited to, information on mercury and its environmental and health hazards; the safe handling of dental amalgams containing mercury to avoid human and animal exposure to mercury; appropriate disposal of mercury amalgams and waste products to prevent mercury pollution of the environment; conditions under which amalgams containing mercury are contraindicated and are not to be used in certain patients; a requirement that each patient be given informed consent about the health and safety concerns relating to amalgams containing mercury; and a requirement that any dentist who is continuing to use dental amalgams containing mercury must provide each of his patients with the option of receiving a dental filling other than dental amalgams containing mercury.
Full text: 01/14/04 Senate: Presented & ordered printed, prefiled 01/13/04
Status:
01/14/04 Senate: Presented & ordered printed, prefiled 01/13/04
01/14/04 Senate: Referred to Committee on Education and Health
01/29/04 Senate: Continued to 2005 in Ed. & Health (14-Y 0-N)
(The bill was amended and approved on 1/29/03 during its discussion in the Committee. See the amended bill below.)
All Members of Senate Education and Health Committee
Membership: Potts, (Chairman), Saslaw, Lambert, Houck, Lucas, Howell, Quayle, Martin, Newman, Edwards, Bolling, Ruff, Whipple, Mims, Blevins
Meets: Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. Senate Room B
(Proposed by the Senate committee on Education and Health on 1/29/04
(Patron of bill-Senator Miller)
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 54.1-2711.1, relating to dental amalgams containing mercury; informed consent.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered § 54.1-2711.1 as follows:
§ 54.1-2711.1. Informed consent for dental amalgams.
The Board of Dentistry shall require that dentists obtain informed consent about the health and safety concerns relating to amalgams containing mercury from each patient prior to filling any tooth. This informed consent shall be in writing.
The bill was carried over to 2005. The bill is now in the subcommittee Health Professionals for them to study the issue further.
MEMBERS OF THE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS SUBCOMMITTEE:
Louise L. Lucas, Senator from Portsmouth
Stephen H. Martin, Senator from Chesterfield
Williams C. "Bill" Mims, Senator from Leesburg
Dr. Benjamin Lambert, Senator/Ophthalmologist from Richmond
Please contact members of the Health Professionals Subcommittee and ask them to support Informed Consent for all Virginians. If you have gone to a dentist or taken your child to a dentist and he has placed "silver" mercury dental fillings in your mouth without offering you a choice of another kind of filling, or if he did not tell you the silver filling contained mercury, PLEASE email or call these legislators to let them know how prevalent this problem is. Include your name, address and phone number.
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