Health Issues of GMO’s and More
Vote Yes for Prop 37

There is evidence to support the view that genetically engineered foods are a health issue. Please see the video below for an explanation of this, done as a social science project by students at Michigan State University.

The introduction of GMO’s is also an environmental, social, political and even a cultural issue.

In Europe, where food safety regulation is more in place to ensure that new foods being introduced to market don’t contain substances that might cause toxic or allergic reactions, genetically modified foods are being introduced more cautiously.

From an environmental standpoint, the issues are:

1) The creation of ‘super-bugs’ and possibly ‘super-weeds’ that can withstand genetic modifications
2) limiting bio-diversity and probably most important

3) the fact that GMO releases, done mostly without careful regulation and monitoring, will be irreversible.

The release of genetically modified foods into the environment means that over time organic farmers will not be able to guarantee that their plants have not cross pollinated with GMO’s.

Earth Day is about holding to our intentions of being good stewards of the environment.  It’s a trust that we hold for the generations to come

Everyone wins when environmental health is respected and safeguarded

Each time the healthy balance of our environment is downgraded and environmental health on the planet suffers, quality of life becomes more difficult to sustain. As a San Diego holistic dentist I see a responsibility to the environment as well as to my patients.  When green dentistry acts as a monitor of dentists’ environmental footprint, the impact of our profession on the oceans, for example, can be softened.

One important way for dentistry to go green is to filter out dental metals before they get into the water system. The filter that does this is called an amalgam separator. It is only mandated in a few states, and California is not one of them. Since the filters are pricey- around $1000,00, dentists often don’t volunteer to install them. Ask your dentist if he or she has an amalgam separator.

Amalgam separators are used to filter out dental metals before they get into the water system.

This blog was launched as a celebration of Earth Day 2009 and to showcase the video on ocean conservation we created for Encinitas Environment Day that year. We are giving our blog a new look in honor of Earth Day 2011.

Some exceptional videos are available to mark this year’s event. Above is one from Greenpeace, an organization that has been championing conservation since 1971. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Greenpeace’s now has an Earth Day network in 41 countries.

At the California Dental Association convention that met in San Diego this weekend, we encountered Teena Marie of Precious Metals, Ltd. Teena does a service for the environment by recycling dental scrap metal. She reminded us that she’d provided dental metals that were imaged in our 2009 video on conservation. Created for Encinitas Environment Day, the video can be found here: http://www.dentistrygoesgreen.com/?m=200907.

Teena is passionate about protecting the environment and so are many dental office workers she encounters on her rounds. We were stunned to learn that many dentists are not interested in recycling dental scrap metals. To this end we promised to deliver an update of our video and get the message out… Recycling dental scrap metal is just plain common sense because it is a simple thing we can do to protect our environment. Find out how San Francisco is mandating greater responsibility from dental offices at http://www.dentistrygoesgreen.com/?m=200907. Then ask your local dentist if the office has an amalgam separator and play a part in making sure that dentistry goes green.

As a San Diego Holistic Dentist I am concerned about the part that dentistry plays in adding mercury to our oceans. Here we feature the 3rd part of a 2008 TV show about safe levels of mercury in fish:

San Diego Holistic Dentist features 2nd part of 2008 TV show about safe levels of mercury in fish:

An environmental project on toxic methyl-mercury ingestion released in February 2010 quantified the actual cost of toxic mercury emissions. Issued jointly by Norwegian and Swedish research institutes, the report estimates that if current trends continue, human and wildlife exposure will increase by 25%. The Scandinavian study estimates that damages to society worldwide, due to respiratory issues and loss of I.Q., may be as much as $6.6 billion.

In places where fish consumption is high, or in areas where pollution is heavy due to factors like coal burning, the risk is greatest. Other factors include the use of mercury amalgams in dentistry. Elsewhere, it has been estimated that up to twenty tons of heavy metals released into the environment annually are dental metals from offices in the US. However, emission controls and technological reductions could allow emissions to drop by as much as 60%.

Methylmercury is the main pollutant that accumulates in living organisms, including fish. In 2004, the FDA, together with the Environmental Protection Agency, issued a joint advisory aimed at protecting pregnant women, women considering becoming pregnant, nursing mothers and young children. At high enough levels, mercury can harm a developing fetus and cause problems with brain development. The advisory recommended that these populations avoid four types of large predator fish that accumulate greater quantities of pollutants, such as swordfish, shark, tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico and king mackerel.

‘Going Green’ is about a paradigm shift involving habitual behaviors and small, day to day choices. As Mother Theresa said, “One cannot do great things. One can only do small things with great love”. Every item that we choose to dispose of or conserve has a cumulative, global impact on our environmental health that becomes more evident with every passing day.

The need for a ‘greener’ perspective in making these choices is true in business and healthcare as well. As a practicing San Diego holistic dentist, I am often surprised by the amount of waste that dental treatments can generate. Of particular concern is the scrap metal produced by procedures such as amalgam replacement or removal. It has been estimated that up to 14% of the metal waste in the oceans is from dental amalgam.

Technology exists that allows dental offices to filter out metal scraps before they find their way into public water sources. Wastewater treatment plants are designed to treat refuse liquids containing conventional pollutants such as human and food waste. The treatment process does not completely remove heavy metals, including mercury. As a result, some mercury will remain. in the treated wastewater discharged into the water system.

Currently ten states mandate amalgam separators, the type of filtration which removes mercury and other metals found in amalgam waste before it enters the water supply. The six New England states, New York, New Jersey, Oregon and most recently Michigan have made amalgam filtration mandatory. Elsewhere, amalgam filtration is voluntary, with one notable exception.

Starting in the 1990′s, studies of the San Francisco Bay revealed a dozen toxic pollutants. Among these were high levels of mercury, which was traced back to local dental offices. Due to mercury toxicity, fish consumption advisories have been issued for the San Francisco Bay Area. Recent studies have shown that 61% of the mercury entering the main treatment facility there is from dental practices. Starting in the summer of 2009, information was sent to Bay Area dentists concerning the newest statutes regarding amalgam filtration; all dental offices will need to be compliant by December of 2010.

Additionally, last year the EPA established the Total Maximum Daily Load of mercury allowable for the Bay, as well as regulations ensuring that bio-solids (treated waste matter) can be safely reused for land application and landfill cover. These regulations require the main treatment plant to meet concentration limits for heavy metals, including mercury. With the availability of durable, tooth-colored composite material, amalgam usage is declining. However the number of amalgam fillings .placed every year is still in the millions.

Another metal associated with dentistry is nickel, a common component of metal-based and stainless steel crowns. Nickel is encapsulated within dental materials and thus contained within the mouth. It is released into the air by industry, crematoriums and trash incinerators. While OSHA does not have it listed as cancer-causing, the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the National Toxicology Program have it listed as a likely carcinogen. Not much is known about effects of nickel on organisms besides humans. Nickel is not known to bio-accumulate the way that mercury does in fish.

As of September 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency continues to support voluntary amalgam filtration, and the California Dental Board follows this guideline. Environmentalists hope that Governor Schwarzenegger’s ‘green legacy’ will include more active legislation to protect California’s natural resources from waste metals, including metals from dentistry.

Meanwhile, ‘going green’ continues to develop as a grass roots movement. A growing awareness of the effects of what we put into our mouths and bodies, whether through diet or dental materials, is creating momentum for the change to sustainability. One question regarding conservation to ask in your dentist’s office is: “Do you have an amalgam separator?” Voluntary use of this type of filtration is a great way to contribute to a ‘greener’ way of life.

By asking questions and looking for solutions to keep our environment sustainable, we find that there are small things we can do every day to preserve our beautiful planet.

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http://www.myholisticdentist.com‘s Carey O’Rielly DDS offers his perspective about dentistry’s impact on marine life and on fish consumption in our diet, as well as future issues regarding ocean conservation and environmental health.

San Diego Holistic Dentist and environmental health activist, a leading advocate of biological, green dentistry at http://a-zholisticdentistry.com, discusses water pollution from mercury and plastics in this video created  for Encinitas Environment Day 2009.