Convention on Mercury mustn't create fear and panic - GDA

Accra, April 13, GNA - The Ghana Dental Association (GDA) at the weekend urged advocates of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, not to create fear and panic about the impact of mercury usage in dental amalgam (mixture of mercury and other substance).

  'If there are any group of people who should be careful and concerned about the usage of mercury in dental practice, then it must be the professionals, the dentists and their team of nurses.

  'We come into contact with mercury more often than the patient; but currently there is no evidence to show that as a result of constant usage or contact with mercury at the dental unit,   any of the health professionals has contracted any ailment,' Dr Gilbert Aboryo Ankrah, GDA President stated in Accra.

Dr Ankrah who was contributing to a discussion and education on the impact of mercury use in dental amalgam, explained however that the Minamata Convention is good which can be used to promote healthy lifestyles.

  'I think Minamata Convention is good because the recommendations and its provision can be used to propagate dentistry to higher or different levels. We need to hype on the aspect of the recommendations which focuses more on preventions and health promotion and its relations to general health which a lot of people do not know.

  'This is an opportunity for us to propagate healthy lifestyles, so the government, non-governmental organisations, the dental professionals, the media, and civil society organisations need to educate the public.

  'So Minamata is great without phasing amalgam, but at the same time, we do it in such a way that people will not develop decay, that is the way we must all see Minamata Convention.

  'With respect to alternatives, more research is coming out, but with a higher cost, the best way out is prevention and more of health promotion,' Dr Ankrah stated.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury.

The major highlights of the Convention on Mercury include a ban on new mercury mines, the phase-out of existing ones, control measures on air emissions, and the international regulation of the informal sector for artisanal and small-scale gold mining.

The Convention draws attention to a global and ubiquitous metal that, while naturally occurring, has broad uses in everyday objects, and is released to the atmosphere, soil and water from a variety of sources.

Controlling the anthropogenic releases of mercury throughout its life cycle has been a key factor in shaping the obligations under the convention.

Mr Emmanuel Odjam-Akumatey of the Ecological Restorations whose outfit, jointly with the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme of the UNDP, organised the stakeholder engagement, explained that the Minamata Convention on Mercury calls for the phasing down of the use of dental amalgam, because it is 50 per cent mercury and because such mercury is a major environmental threat to children.

Mr Odjam-Akumatey explained that African non-governmental organisations have adopted a common platform that the children of Africa, and all the people of Africa have a basic human right to mercury-free dental care and a mercury-free environment.

He noted that at a recent summit in Abuja, the African NGOs issued 'The Abuja Declaration,' which tasked African governments to work together and make Africa the first continent with mercury-free dentistry.

He said the Abuja Declaration urged African nations to adopt effective amalgam phase down strategies that have been proven in nations that have already phased out or significantly reduced dental mercury use.

The Declaration also called for raising awareness about dental mercury to parents, consumers, dental workers, health professionals, and educators; promoting the benefits of non-mercury dental restorative materials, and encouraging government programmes and insurance policies that favour non-mercury dental restorative materials.

Training dental professionals to use non-mercury dental restorative materials and techniques, discouraging amalgam use in milk teeth (primary teeth), protecting dental workers from mercury vapours in the workplace, and developing a national plan, setting goals for minimizing and eliminating amalgam use.

The Declaration also called for updating dental schools training to emphasize mercury-free dentistry, and moving hospitals to mercury-free health care services.

Mr Odjam-Akumatey noted that African Countries have also been tasked to impress upon the exporting nations and funding organisations to cease the toxic trade of dental mercury into Africa, and seize sending to Africa interest groups whose agenda is to phase up amalgam in Africa.

He said civil society organisations were also tasked to promote and advocate for, in their countries, mercury-free dentistry as a route of expanding oral health care, especially among children.

GNA