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92_HR0689
LRB9216178BHbh
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, It has come to the attention of the members of
3 the Illinois House of Representatives that the warnings and
4 restrictions regarding mercury amalgam dental fillings are
5 inadequate; and
6 WHEREAS, The term "silver" to describe a product that has
7 substantially more mercury than silver does not accurately
8 convey needed information to consumers; and
9 WHEREAS, Mercury is being removed from all other health
10 care uses, such as vaccines, disinfectants, and contact
11 lenses; many health organizations, such as the American
12 Public Health Association, the California Medical
13 Association, and Health Care Without Harm, recommend removing
14 mercury from all health products; and
15 WHEREAS, Children under 18, pregnant women, and nursing
16 mothers may be at particular risk to mercury exposure,
17 because the mercury goes to the developing brain, through the
18 placenta, and through the breast milk, according to the
19 Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry of the
20 United Suites Public Health Service; several authorities,
21 including manufacturers who have issued contraindications
22 and the Government of Canada, warn that children and
23 pregnant women are at particularized risk for exposure to
24 mercury amalgam; and
25 WHEREAS, Consumers and parents have a right to know, in
26 advance, that, in the words of the California Dental Board,
27 "There exists a diversity of various scientific opinions
28 regarding the safety of mercury dental amalgam"; and
29 WHEREAS, Alternatives to mercury-based dental fillings
30 exist, such as resin composite and porcelain; and
-2- LRB9216178BHbh
1 WHEREAS, Medicaid and many third-party payment health
2 plans do not allow consumers to choose alternatives to
3 mercury amalgam, so poor children's only options are mercury
4 fillings or no fillings at all; and
5 WHEREAS, The states of Arizona, California, and Maine
6 have passed laws providing warnings to consumers about the
7 risks of silver (mercury) dental amalgam, and Rhode Island
8 has passed a law giving consumers on insurance plans full
9 choice on the type of fillings they may have; therefore, be
10 it
11 RESOLVED, BY THE ILLINOIS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
12 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
13 the State of Illinois enact laws providing warnings to all
14 consumers as follows: (1) that silver fillings are about
15 fifty percent mercury, a neuro-toxin and environmental
16 hazard; (2) that there exists a diversity of various
17 scientific opinions regarding the safety of mercury dental
18 amalgam; and (3) that particularized concern has been
19 expressed regarding the health effects on children, pregnant
20 women, and nursing mothers; and be it further
21 RESOLVED, That the State of Illinois enact laws to
22 provide choices to all consumers, so that Medicaid families
23 and moderate-income consumers on insurance plans will be able
24 to choose alternatives to mercury amalgam.