By Amaka Amaka
The Heroine Women Foundation wants authorities to enact the Children’s Amendment as a critical step to phase out dental amalgam.
The organization’s CEO, Amb. Onyi Mamah, stressed the importance of protecting children’s health and safety by removing the toxic substance from dental practices.
Amb. Mamah emphasised the urgency of enforcing the provisions of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which prohibits the use of dental amalgam for children, breastfeeding and pregnant women.
Speaking at an event organized in partnership with the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, the CEO who is the president Women Support Women for Human Development and Mentorship Initiative (WOSUWO) made a compelling case for a complete ban on dental amalgam, citing its devastating impact on both the environment and human health.
Citing also it’s health risks to children, young women, and dental workers, she called for a total ban on dental amalgam to prevent mercury poisoning.
“Dental amalgam is a primitive pollutant,” said Onyi Mamah, “disastrous to the environment and harmful to human health.
“The effects of mercury on children’s brains and on pregnant women are devastating,”
She emphasized that the Minamata Convention on Mercury already prohibits the use of dental amalgam for children, breastfeeding, and pregnant women, and urged the Nigerian government to enforce this law.
“Consumers and parents must insist on mercury-free dentistry, the dental industry must switch to alternative, non-polluting materials that are safer for teeth and the environment.”
Onyi Mamah pointed out that Europe has already banned dental amalgam, and Africa should follow suit. “Mercury is the most vaporous of the heavy metals, and the vapors toxify dental offices,” she warned. “Young women dental workers are particularly at risk.”
Mamah appealed to African countries to unite in banning dental amalgam, and called for dental schools in Nigeria to switch to mercury-free alternatives. “Mercury-free dentistry is the way of the future,” she concluded. “We must protect our children, our women, and our environment from this deadly poison.”
According to her, “Nigeria was a threaty to the corp that signed for Children Amendment but we are yet to implement children’s Amendment to phase out Amalgam for Children”.
The event, organized in partnership with the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry started on Tuesday December 9th and ends on Friday December 13th 2024. It highlighted the pressing need for a global effort to phase out dental amalgam.
The World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry joined forces with the Heroine Women Foundation to organize a five-day conference from December 9th to 13th, 2024 in Enugu state, Nigeria, highlighted the urgent need for worldwide action to eradicate the use of dental amalgam, a mercury-based substance commonly used in dental fillings.
The event’s attendees, including activists, health professionals, and members of the public, expressed shock and concern at the scale of the problem. Many pledged to work with Onyi Mamah’s organization to raise awareness and campaign for a total ban on dental amalgam in Nigeria and across Africa.
World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry is a global coalition of dental, medical, and environmental groups working towards a worldwide phase-out of dental amalgam.
