Web Page Potpourri (June 2007) Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients

From the Townsend Letter June 2007
Order this issue!	Web Page Potpourri: Mercury by Marjorie Roswell

A column devoted to informative integrative health resources on the Internet I'll begin this column by sharing a terrific campaign sponsored by an advocacy organization called Oceana. They are working to get signs posted at grocery store seafood counters based on the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) and United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) mercury advisory, an important public health measure. After sharing key links from ocean.org, I'll broaden the topic to cover a few other mercury sources and solutions. Fair Warning http://www.oceana.org/fileadmin/oceana/uploads/mercury/ Fair_Warning_Report_final.pdf 117KB .pdf (One long link on two lines.) This is a brief paper which launched Oceana's campaign. The paper is subtitled, "Why Grocery Stores Should Tell Parents About Mercury in Fish." Grocery Store Guide http://oceana.org/index.php?id=1530 Oceana has compiled a list of companies posting advisory signs, known as the "Green List." Wild Oats, Safeway, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Albertsons voluntarily posted the FDA advice as a service to their customers. Green List Map http://oceana.org/gl/ This is a helpful mapping application to help you quickly find the stores in your area that post the advisory signs. It also documents Oceana's interaction with the grocers. The grocery store nearest me (Giant) unfortunately yields this result: "Oceana sent a letter to Anders C. Moberg, President and CEO of Ahold USA, in January 2006 asking that the company post signs and has yet to receive a response." The website further invites me to sign up to speak with the store manager. I went ahead and signed up, and look forward to reporting results on my advocacy with Giant and their parent company, Ahold Group, in a future column. Oceana has made it easy to do this work; I invite you to participate and let me know of your results, as well. Vital Signs: The Status of Mercury Warning Signs in US Grocery Stores http://www.oceana.org/index.php?id=1744 Myths and Facts About Posting Mercury Signs http://www.oceana.org/index.php?id=1527 Campaign for Mercury Signs in Stores http://www.oceana.org/index.php?id=1526 Wild Oats, the first company to post this advice, has found that posting signs has resulted in increased seafood sales and better customer relations. Mercury, Seafood, and You http://oceana.org/?id=1601 A seven-minute video featuring people who found that mercury in seafood had a major impact on their lives. Stop Seafood Contamination http://www.oceana.org/mercury You can find all the content above and more at this URL. 2004 FDA/EPA Consumer Advisory: What You Need to Know About Mercury in Fish and Shellfish http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/advice.html http://epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/advisory.pdf 57KB .pdf The government policy is not as quite protective as it should be, but this consumer advisory is a start. Oceana Chlorine Campaign http://www.oceana.org/chlorine Oceana also has initiated a campaign with chlorine plants in the United States and Europe. Health Care Without Harm http://www.noharm.org/us/mercury/issue http://www.mercuryfreehealthcare.org/ This important site for health professionals contains tools for making medicine mercury-free. United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) – Mercury, Lead, and Cadmium http://www.chem.unep.ch/mercury/ http://www.chem.unep.ch/Pb_and_Cd/ The United Nations Environmental Programme conducted a global mercury assessment and developed guidance materials and toolkits to help countries mitigate their mercury problems. Environmental Protection Agency on Mercury and Lead http://www.epa.gov/mercury/ http://www.epa.gov/lead/ The US EPA also has rich content addressing local, national, and international approaches to heavy metals. Mercury Fillings Are Outdated http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070212/ opinion02/702120309/1022/opinion02 (It's one long link on two lines.) The Acting Health Commissioner in Vermont thinks that mercury amalgam is sometimes "the best clinical choice." The Barre Montpelier Times Argus published Lisa Carlson's pointed response in a February 12, 2007 letter to the editor. Autism-Mercury Email List http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism-Mercury Most of the members of this group are parents of children with autism, Asperger syndrome, ADD, etc. The group moderator writes: "There are many labels: you are welcome regardless of particular label(s)." Mercury Detox: Information, Tools, and Resources http://home.earthlink.net/~moriam/ Resources from a member of the Autism-Mercury list mentioned above Heavy Metal Detoxification / Avoidance www.digitalnaturopath.com/treat/T93129.html Mercury Toxicity / Amalgam Illness http://www.digitalnaturopath.com/cond/C585969.html http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C586629.html Comprehensive resource from the Digital Naturopath Mercury Policy Project http://www.mercurypolicy.org/ Essential reading for advocates IAOMT Protocol for the Safe Removal of Mercury http://emporium.turnpike.net/P/PDHA/mercury/iaomt.htm IAOMT is the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology. More Terrific Resources on Mercury in Dentistry http://www.dams.cc/ http://www.toxicteeth.org/ http://www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/ http://www.mercurypoisoned.com/ http://www.mercurypoisoned.com/protocol_iaomt.html American Council on Science and Health http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsID.918/news_detail.asp http://www.acsh.org/publications/pubID.1179/pub_detail.asp http://www.acsh.org/publications/pubID.1014/pub_detail.asp Sometimes it's helpful to know what "the other side" thinks. I see this industry-funded group as a big barrier to sensible health and environmental policy. But now you know my bias; get the word from the horse's mouth here. Heavy Metal Harm www.emagazine.com/may-june_2002/0502feat1.html This is a terrific story in E Magazine on various initiatives to prevent exposure to mercury. How Mercury Causes Brain Neuron Degeneration http://movies.commons.ucalgary.ca/showcasetv/mercury No discussion of mercury is complete without a reminder to watch this five-minute video produced by University of Calgary medical faculty. Selected Search Terms • amalgam • safe protocol • mercury rain • EWG body burden • ALA DMPS DMSA mercury • biological dentists • municipal waste incinerators heavy metal Closing Thought Heavy metal in the teeth Heavy metals in the rain In the fetuses and babies In the neurons in our brain Mercury, zinc, copper, lead, Aluminum, and why? It's tragedy by policy! The time for change is nigh. All sites last accessed on 3/10/2007. Marjorie Roswell is a web developer and environmental health advocate. Marjorie Roswell 3443 Guilford Terrace, Baltimore, MD 21218 USA 410-467-3727; mroswell@gmail.com

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June 2, 2007