Marie Flowers made a trip to Maryland earlier this month becauseshe believes she's been poisoned by mercury.
The 56-year-old Bedford County woman attributes medical problemsshe's had to the 11 mercury-based dental fillings that have beenplaced in her teeth throughout her life.
Flowers has become an activist on the issue, picketing dentalassociation meetings and the Virginia General Assembly with signs --and a fake skull, for effect. She was one of many speakers at apublic hearing before a panel convened by the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration Sept. 6 and 7 at a hotel in Gaithersburg, Md.
While not declaring the fillings with mercury dangerous, thepanel, after hearing testimony, rejected the FDA's previous reportthat the fillings are safe, The Associated Press reported. The panelalso said more research needs to be done on the topic -- specificallyinto the effects of mercury on fetuses, children and people whosebodies might process mercury in a potentially harmful way.
On Sept. 6, Flowers described to the panel how in 2001, withinnine days of her dentist's drilling on a filling to repair it andcovering it with a crown, she felt as if her brain were on fire. Shesaid she later developed dizziness, confusion, memory loss, achingmuscles and extreme sensitivities to certain foods and chemicals.
Several doctors she visited could not figure out what was wrongwith her.
Then Flowers -- a mother of three who has worked as an elementaryschool teacher and with her husband in prison ministries -- said shewas tested by a practitioner of alternative medicine and found tohave mercury in her system.
She said her body has improved since she had her fillings removedand she has taken medication called DMSA to get the mercury out ofher system -- but that her head still hurts. She also takessupplements to build up her immune system.
The silver-colored fillings, also known as dental amalgams, can befound in the mouths of millions. The American Dental Association hasmaintained they are a safe and effective way to treat tooth decay.
"Dental amalgam is accepted in the scientific community as a safeand effective restorative material based on the weight of scientificevidence," Dr. Ronald Zentz, senior director of the ADA's Council onScientific Affairs, testified before the panel. Zentz's testimonywas provided by a spokesman for the ADA.
Other scientists and activists, however, question their safety.
"There is no safe level of exposure" to mercury, said CharlesBrown, national counsel for Consumers for Dental Choice, aWashington, D.C.-based group that filed petitions with the FDA whichprompted the public hearings.
The concern is that mercury can leak or that vapors can bereleased when fillings encounter friction or heat. High levels ofmercury exposure can harm the brain and kidneys.
The FDA granted the hearings in early April, Brown said.
In late April, Consumers for Dental Choice filed a lawsuit againstthe FDA, seeking a ban on the use of mercury-based fillings. Thegroup was joined in the lawsuit by a state legislator in Arizona, adentist in California and groups including Moms Against Mercury inNorth Carolina and Oregonians for Life.
About a week before the hearings, the FDA released a draft of itsworking paper on the safety of mercury-based fillings. Afterreviewing 34 studies, it found "no significant new information" thatthe fillings harm patients, except in the case of the rare allergy,The Associated Press reported.
After the hearings, however, the outside panel commissioned by theFDA decided that more research was needed into the use of mercury indental fillings.
The ADA said in a news release that it welcomed the panel's callfor additional review of scientific research on the safety of dentalamalgam fillings.
"The more well-designed studies that are considered, the betterthe pool of evidence for making treatment recommendations topatients," ADA executive director Dr. James Bramson said in astatement. "First and foremost, we want scientific evidence to leadthe way when it comes to health care treatment."
Flowers has taken her fight against mercury to the Internet, whereshe maintains a site called mercurypoisoned.com. She had pursued alawsuit against her dentist, but she said no attorneys would take thecase because using mercury in fillings is the standard of care indentistry.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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