FDA forfeits on amalgam safety row

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Non-profit groups have lobbied the US Food and Drug Administration to outlaw the use of amalgam fillings.

In an unprecedented U-turn, the US government's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has conceded that amalgam dental fillings do pose a health risk.

After repeatedly insisting the fillings - which contain the toxic metal mercury - are safe, the federal agency has now backtracked and issued a health warning about them.

In a statement posted on its website, the FDA acknowledged that "dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and foetuses".

It added that when amalgam fillings are "placed in teeth or removed they release mercury vapour" and this may also occur during chewing.

The statement represents a landmark victory for anti-amalgam campaigners, who believe the fillings are to blame for a range of illnesses, including Alzheimer's and cardiovascular conditions. It follows a lawsuit brought against the FDA by a team of non-profit groups that was settled in June.

Under the terms of the settlement, the drug agency agreed to review legislation for amalgam and may move to restrict or ban the metal later this year.

The long-running debate on the safety of amalgam fillings has split the global dental industry. In the wake of the FDA's statement, the British Dental Association issued a press release insisting the metal is "safe, durable and cost-effective" and "doesn't pose a risk of systemic disease".

Norway and Denmark, however, banned mercury from fillings earlier this year. Sweden has reduced its use by more than 90%, and mercury use is also tightly restricted in Finland and Japan.

Research has produced conflicting results. Some studies link mercury from dental fillings with disorders of the central nervous system, while others claim no difference in the rates of neurological symptoms with mercury-free or amalgam fillings.

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