Experts for banning amalgam by 2016
Bangladesh Dental Society (BDS) and Environment and Social Development Organisation (ESDO) yesterday called on the government to frame a policy to ban mercury dental amalgam in Bangladesh by 2016. Syed Marghub Murshed, former secretary of the government of Bangladesh and chairperson of ESDO, and Dr Humayun Kabir Bulbul, newly elected president of BDS, made the demand at a meeting in the head office of ESDO at Lalmatia in the capital.
ESDO in association with Asian Centre for Environmental Health and World Alliance for Mercury Free Dentistry (WAMFD) organised the meeting. A good amount of mercury via dental amalgam and medical appliances are used in dentistry. When applied, mercury spreads gradually to the entire human body. ESDO has been working on raising public awareness and enforcing government policies to stop mercury in dentistry since 2010.
Speaking on the occasion, Syed Marghub Murshed urged the dental society to remove the mercury dental amalgam restoration chapter from dental curriculum so that a mercury pollution-free environment gets ensured in Bangladesh.
Dr Humayun Kabir Bulbul appreciated the multidimensional initiatives taken by ESDO to protect the environment from mercury pollution. He said, Bangladesh Dental Society has already started changing the dental curriculum adding alternatives to dental amalgam.
The government can stimulate the banning of mercury from dental sectors by creating policies.
Siddika Sultana, executive director of ESDO, said, People are conducting extensive research and massive awareness programmes worldwide on mercury pollution and protection. Since Bangladesh is a signatory country of Minamata Convention, we should ratify it at the shortest possible time.
ESDO expects the government would take all necessary steps regarding this issue, she said, adding, Since its birth, ESDO has been working towards a toxic-free sustainable environment to develop the societal sites. It is a pioneer organisation to make Bangladesh pollution free.
