A dentist who worked at Colorado state prisons filed a whistleblower lawsuit claiming he was fired hours after sounding the alarm about the ongoing practice of placing mercury-containing tooth fillings in prisoners, according to a story published on December 17 in The Denver Post.
In December, Dr. Charles Hardin filed a lawsuit in Denver District Court claiming that he was fired on April 4, five hours after emailing the Colorado Department of Corrections Chief of Dentistry, a registered nurse, and a psychologist about his concerns. He is seeking back pay, reinstatement, and damages, according to the story.
In the email, Hardin, a contracted dentist who worked at a state women’s prison and another facility for prisoners with complex medical conditions, allegedly suggested that the prison system should change its approach to tooth fillings, which currently uses mercury amalgam, to align with U.S. recommendations.
In 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that amalgam poses a threat to vulnerable patients, including those who are pregnant, nursing, and individuals with some preexisting medical conditions. Instead of recommending a complete ban on dental amalgam, the FDA advised that high-risk individuals, such as pregnant women, avoid getting these fillings “whenever possible and appropriate.”
Hardin, who had been contracted with the corrections system since 2023, reportedly explained in the email that he was worried that the prison system was overly relying on amalgam when safer alternatives were available, according to the story.
Hardin claims he was fired after raising the concerns and was told by the contract company that he was let go because the prison system felt he wasn’t a “good fit,” according to the story.
In the lawsuit, the dentist accuses the department of violating Colorado’s Public Health Emergency Whistleblower Act, which protects employees from retaliation after raising legitimate health and safety concerns.
