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 As countries around the globe phase out the use of mercury amalgam in dentistry, citing mounting evidence of significant environmental and human health risks, the United States has stayed mum.

 That is, until last November when the American Public Health Association (APHA) issued an incredulous policy statement affirming that dental amalgam is “safe” and its contribution to environmental mercury contamination “minimal.”

 The policy not only advocates the use of dental amalgam as “safe and effective in treating dental cavities,” it goes so far as to say that limiting or curtailing its availability could have negative health consequences, particularly in low-income areas.

 Unfortunately, as one of the largest public health associations the APHA has great influence within the World Federation of Public Health Associations, so its position on this issue will be viewed as a broad pronouncement about what is good for the public’s health not just within the United States, but also abroad. To add fuel to the fire, the American Dental Association (ADA) has also come out in full support of the APHA’s statement