U.S. Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA), who has sponsored legislation in Congress to restrict the use of dental amalgam, is now pressuring the FDA to more tightly regulate the material.
Rep. Watson and Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) are collecting signatures from fellow Congress members on a letter asking the FDA to require parents to sign a consent form before dentists can place amalgam restorations in children younger than age 18. Adults would get a warning letter "to ensure they are fully aware of the potential harmful effects of mercury amalgam."
Reps. Mike Simpson (R-ID) and John Linder (R-GA), both dentists, are asking colleagues not to sign the Watson and Burton letter. "We need to allow the FDA to work its way through this process," they wrote.
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