EPA Asked to Set New Mercury Reduction Standards for the Dental Industry

MPP sent the attached letter from numerous national and state environmental, health and consumer groups to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson on the EPA-ADA dental mercury Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).  In the letter, groups urge Jackson to consider terminating the MOU–which was adopted during the waning days of the Bush Administration–in favor of national goal-based mercury reduction standards for the U.S. dental industry.  The letter notes that EPA has had a history under the previous Administration of ignoring the significant discharge of mercury by the dental community and that Congressional hearings have failed to elicit sufficient recognition of the dental mercury problem or steps necessary to remedy them by the Agency (see government reports from 2008 and 2007.)  In fact, information provided by MPP to Congress clearly indicates that dental mercury releases are far greater than previously thought.

While Congress had asked the prior EPA Administrator for a response to the findings of the Congressional hearings, the Agency thus far to our knowledge has not adequately responded or clearly recognized the significance of the Congressional findings.