§ Mrs. BallardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has conducted into the toxic effect of mercury in dental amalgam. [16859]
§ Mr. MilburnThe Department is advised by an independent Committee on the Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT). In 1986 the COT conducted a review and concluded that the use of dental amalgam is free from the risk of systemic toxicity and only a few cases of hypersensitivity occur. Similar reviews by national and international expert bodies have reached the same conclusions. COT is currently preparing an updated opinion.