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Nyheter om vad som bestämdes på Kvicksilverkonferensen i Nairobi. Tyvärr endast på engelska!
Dear friends,
The third negotiating session for the world mercury treaty was held October 31-November 4 in Nairobi, Kenya. The World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, the ever-expanding coalition we founded in 2010, brought a skilled team of professionals from five continents: I led five dentists, a biologist, an international attorney with a background in human rights, and four nonprofit leaders with environmental expertise to represent our cause at the third negotiating session. Working together as a team, we participated in six grueling days of sessions, briefings, and working groups.
While no treaty language was agreed to, developments in Nairobi have moved our cause forward substantially. We have come a long way since the first session in Stockholm in 2010, when the cause of mercury-free dentistry was met with reactions ranging from indifference to hostility. Here are some of our latest accomplishments on the international front:
First, we have regions as well as national governments now openly advocating for ?robust? treaty language addressing amalgam. For example, thanks to the efforts of our Amalgam-Free Africa Campaign, Africa vocally supports the phase-out of amalgam. And in the wake of our intense Australian campaign, Australia now supports the position of the United States ? which supports addressing amalgam in the treaty. We continue to provide information, expertise, and recommendations to governments in both developed and developing nations.
Second, we have been able to build on the major breakthrough we achieved with the World Health Organization (WHO). It had appeared that WHO?s traditional opposition to mercury-free dentistry would prevail when WHO staff released a paper in 2010 promoting amalgam as the ?material of choice.? As you might recall, we organized a worldwide protest that highlighted the glaring errors in the paper; we asked for an investigation. The paper was withdrawn. Last month the final corrected report was issued ? it was a complete turn-around. Now WHO commits itself to ?facilitate the work for a switch in use of dental materials? away from amalgam. Its key findings: Amalgam raises ?general health concerns?, amalgam releases a ?significant amount of mercury? into the environment, and ?materials alternative to dental amalgam are now available.?
Third, our World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry has gained a wide range of allies from the nonprofit organization community. Dentists, scientists, and environmental experts volunteer to serve as regional vice presidents and national chapter leaders for the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry in Oceania, East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. In addition to our regional and national leadership, other professionals have volunteered to serve in technical and advisory roles. For example, Dr. Graeme Munro-Hall, president of IAOMT-Europe, is chairman of our Training and Transition Task Force, which is charged with demonstrating that alternatives to amalgam are effective, affordable, and available even in developing countries. These highly qualified individuals are now reaching out to more governments, more dentists, and more dental consumers all around the globe. Treaty talks require tactics entirely different from the ones used to challenge federal or state agencies in the United States. As we prepare for the fourth negotiating session to be held next summer, our experienced international team will continue to navigate strategically this delicate diplomatic arena. We will continue our steady ? and to date successful ? march toward securing a treaty that aggressively addresses amalgam.
Charlie 16 November 2011
P.S. A special thank you to each of you who contributed financially this past fall during our matching campaign to help our united worldwide team. We couldn?t do it without you!
Charles G. Brown National Counsel, Consumers for Dental Choice President, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry
For more information, visit the Mercury Issues page of our website.
