This week the IAOMT joined twenty two other national and regional groups, led by the Mercury Policy Project, in a letter demanding that the EPA withdraw from its unwise "Memorandum of Understanding" with the American Dental Association over dental mercury waste. (See the news item of 2/6/09, "EPA approves ADA foot-dragging on amalgam separators.") Here is the press release, and the letter to the EPA Administrator is attached.

Dear Administrator Jackson,

Thank you for your strong leadership on mercury reduction issues and congratulations on becoming the new EPA Administrator.  Please see attached letter from numerous national and state environmental, health and consumer groups to you on the EPA-ADA dental mercury MOU, which we are urging you to consider terminating in favor of national goal-based mercury reduction standards for the U.S. dental industry. 

As you know, the dental sector is the largest contibutor of mercury to muncipal waste water, and, unfortunately, in most states dental clinics are and remain significant polluters, not only to water but also to the air.   In fact, testimony to Congress last year indicates that air releases from dental uses are 5 times higher than EPA estimates!  However, the EPA has not responded adequately to congressional inquiries concerning air releases from dental sources, which recent new findings indicate maybe between 7 metric tons and 9 metric tons per year!

We look forward to hearing from you and/or your staff regarding this important issue, reviewing important facts from congressional testimony presented over the past few years and about scheduling a meeting with you and/or your staff to discuss.

Thank you (in advance) for your attention to this great opportunity to reduce another important source of mercury from entering our environment.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Michael

Michael Bender
Mercury Policy Project/
Zero Mercury Working Group
1420 North St.
Montpelier, VT USA 05602
www.mercurypolicy.org
802-223-9000