From: Dave Watkins [dwatkins@atlantic.net]
Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 6:29 PM
To: Dockets, FDA
Subject: Docket 2006N-0352. Dental mercury amalgam.

Subject: Mercury Amalgam dental work.
Docket # 2006N - 0352.

Dear Sir:
       Thank you for the opportunity to address this issue from a personal
standpoint. I will be as brief as possible.
       For many years since I had mercury amalgam fillings placed back in
the 1970's, (a couple were earlier back in the 60's, 13 of them total), I
started to have a lot of neurological  issues and manifestations of various
sorts in the 1980's  as well as generalized weakness and allergies that
continued to get worse. Many years went by undiagnosed and I just barely was
able to go to work and little else with the help of prescription drugs. In
1998 I collapsed at work and was diagnosed with a range of problems all
classed as "Environmental Illness". This was a situation of being
allergic/reactive to molds, chemicals, dust, dust mites, foods, and pollens,
etc. I am now on S.S. disability because of this. Of the things found in
testing that contributed to this problem greatly was a mercury count of
18ppm in the body, which was far higher than safe levels. This testing was
done through a urine porphyrin test, a standard urine analysis test for
heavy metals, a blood test for heavy metals, and a hair analysis. They all
agreed as to the mercury being problematic. Since I had never worked around
mercury or had any heavy exposure to it, the doctor suspected the mercury
amalgam fillings which seemed to be a very obvious source of mercury. I had
all mercury removed from my teeth over the summer of 1999 and replaced with
composite materials. Since then, about 4 years later I have had mercury
levels tested at 5 ppm in 2003. My neurological problems have greatly
cleared, but according to a psychiatrist and a brain scan there is permanent
damage and a loss of about 15 points on my IQ. My very strong feelings on
this issue is that dentists that are continuing to put one of the most toxic
substances known in peoples mouths, knowing it is dangerous at the very
least by the sheer virtue of the ADA's own regulations for handling mercury
in the operatory, are guilty of criminal negligence at the very least, and
of compromising millions of peoples lives by condemning them to a life of
horrendous health problems. This has got to stop, and the FDA has the
authority and the duty to the American people to do it. There is under no
stretch of the imagination any excuse to be still placing mercury amalgam in
peoples mouths when we have all of the new safer materials in use today and
have known since over 100 years ago that mercury is very dangerous and
hazardous to ones health, and no amount of double talk about it being
"Safely encapsulated" will change the facts.
        I urge the FDA in the strongest of terms to immediately outlaw the
use of mercury in any form inside the human body. After all, you have
already
recognized the problem of mercury use in medicine by outlawing its use in
the over the counter product "Mercurochrome" where it was only in use on the
body sporadically. Why allow it to remain in a place in the body where one
is under constant exposure 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year after year ad
infinitum?
        Sincerely: David Watkins
                         Edgewater, Fla. U.S.A.