Our Staff Reporter
Dawn
Published Date: Sep 28, 2018
Govt. restricts use of mercury dental amalgam
ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Thursday restricted the use of the mercury dental amalgam in children below the age of 15 and in pregnant women.
An advisory issued by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) has directed the health departments of all four provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan to restrict or to not prefer the use of mercury amalgam dental fillings for children and pregnant or breastfeeding women.
The decision followed research and advocacy campaigns to ban the use of the mercury dental amalgam in the country.
Research on this matter was led by Dr Mahmood A. Khwaja, senior adviser on chemicals and sustainable industrial development at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).
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The SDPI has lauded the government’s decision, adding that it hopes the use of the mercury dental amalgam will end not just for children and pregnant or breastfeeding women but also for the general public in order to safeguard their health.
Dr Khwaja has appealed to the government to make legislation in this regard, and to ban the use of mercury not just in dental amalgams but also in other devices.
According to the official notification, mercury is the third most hazardous substance of global concern to which children are most vulnerable, causing neurological, developmental and reproductive problems.
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1435389/govt-restricts-use-of-mercury-dental-amalgam