The European Parliament and EU Member States today agreed to ban the use of mercury in dental fillings by 2025, except if the dentist considers it “strictly necessary” based on the patient’s specific medical needs.
“Our well-being depends on the daily products we use and we can no longer tolerate the health risks of mercury when other solutions are available,” Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius said in a statement.
The provisional agreement on the mercury regulation, which will have to be officially approved by the EU Council and the plenary session of the European Parliament, is aligned with the community ambition of reaching “zero pollution” levels. a dangerous element
Mercury is a highly toxic chemical element that poses a threat to both human health and the environment, because when it is released it ends up entering the food chain, mainly through fish, and can damage the brain, lungs, people’s kidneys and immune system.
It has historically been used in numerous applications, such as gold mining, batteries, fluorescent lights, thermometers, and barometers.
Mercury thermometers, for example, were banned in the EU in 2009. But even though there are viable mercury-free alternatives, around 40 tonnes of mercury is still used in the EU annually for dental amalgams.
This is because current regulations only prohibit the use of dental amalgams for the treatment of teeth of children under 15 years of age, as well as pregnant and lactating women, Parliament said in a statement.
Export is also prohibited
Once the new regulations are adopted, an extension of one and a half years, until June 30, 2026, will only be allowed to EU countries that have not yet adjusted their reimbursement system to cover the alternatives.
This is intended to avoid negative repercussions for low-income people who would otherwise be socioeconomically affected by the elimination.
In addition, the export of dental amalgam will also be prohibited from January 1, 2025, while manufacturing and import into the EU will be prohibited from July 1, 2026.
“Another key point of this agreement is the decision that lamps containing mercury can only be exported to countries outside the EU until June 30, 2026,” the chief negotiator of the file in the European Parliament, the European Parliament, stressed in a statement. German Christian Democrat Marlene Mortler. With EFE
