§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will initiate an education campaign to warn patients of the potential health implications of leaching mercury from amalgam fillings in teeth;
(2) what advice he makes available for dentists and the general public as to the safe level of mercury which can be absorbed from leaching amalgam fillings;
(3) when a product licence was issued for mercury for use in the manufacture of dental amalgams;
(4) what is the quantity of mercury that has been planted in teeth in the United Kingdom for each of the last 10 years.
§ Mr. DorrellCurrent advice from the committee of toxicity is that the use of dental amalgam is free from the risk of systematic toxicity and only a few cases of hypersensitivity occur. Dental mercury is not a medicinal product, and a product licence is not required. Information is not available on the quantity of mercury planted in teeth in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Gareth WardellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence he has indicating that mercury from dental amalgam fillings are capable of compromising the immune system, reducing total T-cells by a substantial percentage.
§ Mr. DorrellWe have no such evidence.