Consumers for Dental Choice announces: Last remaining U.S. publicly-traded manufacturer of mercury dental fillings, Envista, called to account by 118 nonprofit groups

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Mar 09, 2022, 06:00 ET

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Letters to Envista from 118 environmental, consumer, and children's groups call for the California-based dental products company to stop manufacturing mercury fillings (amalgam). Letter from 64 nonprofit groups from 47 countries:https://mercuryfreedentistry.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/intl-ngos-to-envista-22.2.22.pdf; letter from 54 U.S. nonprofit groups: https://mercuryfreedentistry.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/us-ngos-to-envista-2-march-2022.pdf.

Envista's major competitor, Dentsply, stopped selling amalgam at the end of 2020, so Envista is the last publicly-traded U.S. company still selling amalgam.

The subject of an international treaty which mandates scaling down of its use, https://www.mercuryconvention.org/en dental amalgam is a primitive filling material, 50% mercury, highly disfavored by modern dentists. Fully 500 days ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration called for the end of amalgam use in children; in women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, and planning to be pregnant; and in patients with kidney disease, neurological conditions, and metal sensitivities https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/recommendations-about-use-dental-amalgam-certain-high-risk-populations-fda-safety-communication. Envista not only disregards the FDA recommendations in its marketing, but, incredibly and incorrectly, in its 2020 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, claims that FDA has taken no regulatory action on amalgam since 2011 https://filecache.investorroom.com/mr5ir_envista/156/P50344_ENVISTA%20HOLDINGS_CORP_AR%202020_PROOF_MS_rev1.pdf.

Charlie Brown of Consumers for Dental Choice stated: "Envista is fighting the arc of history that bends toward justice. It needs to stop sending this inferior, toxic product increasingly relegated to consumers forced into American and Canadian federal government programs where they have no choice."

Beatrice Olivastri of Friends of the Earth Canada said, "It's incredible that Envista plans to wring the last pennies of profit from mercury-containing dental amalgam when its negative health impacts are clear. Shareholders of Envista should consider future potential liabilities from ongoing sales of a well-established toxic substance."

Tracy Gregoire of the Learning Disabilities Association – many of whose state associations signed onto the letter – said, "Mercury-free alternatives are cost-effective, perform as well, and are available and used worldwide. Envista needs to focus on selling the non-polluting and modern alternatives, which will also help protect children's brain health."

Further information: contact Charlie Brown, Consumers for Dental Choice, 1-202-544.6333 (ofc), 1-202-246-7642 (cell), [email protected]

SOURCE Consumers for Dental Choice