EFFORTS TO PHASE OUT USAGE OF MERCURY IN DENTISTRY CHEERS NZOVU
MINISTER of Green Economy and Environment Collins Nzovu has said efforts have been made to phase out the usage of amalgam (Mercury) in dentistry in Zambia.
During the official opening of the SADC and EAC Round Table workshop on Advocacy for Implementation of Minamata Convention on Children’s Amendment, Mr Nzovu, however, noted that the process has been gradual.
In a speech read by Ministry of Green Economy and Environment Permanent Secretary Dr. Douty Chibamba, Mr Nzovu said the Minamata Convention on Mercury was a global treaty that entered into force in 2017 with the aim to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.
He said this new amendment represented a worldwide consensus that dental amalgam is not safe for children and other vulnerable populations as it is not safe in their mouths and not safe in their environment.
He said the elemental metallic mercury was found to have the following effects on children: - tremors, emotional changes such as mood nervousness, excessive shyness, insomnia, neuromuscular changes such as weakness, muscle atrophy, twitching, headache, disturbance in sensations and changes in nerve responses. These elements posed health hazards to human beings and the environment.
And Children's Environmental Health Foundation Chairperson Mr. Michael Musenga said the African Group recommended having the children’s amendment of the Minamata Convention on Mercury and the Amendment shall come into force on 28th September, 2023.