And attorneys within the Department of Consumer Affairs are looking at what actions it can take against the board. Options include supporting a separate Figueroa bill that would gut the board. Neacy called the moves drastic and defended the board against accusations that it protects industry and ignores consumer interests. Charles Brown, a Washington, D.C., attorney who sued the American and California dental associations on Tuesday, in part to force disclosure of the mercury content of silver fillings, said it was unclear how the feud would turn out. Anti-mercury activists worry that the toxic metal poses a risk to dental patients when used in amalgam fillings, which also contain silver, copper and tin.
Mercury exposure can cause cancer, birth defects and nerve damage.
Still, activists, politicians and officials say dental patients deserve full disclosure about the metal's use in dental fillings. The Los Angeles Democrat wrote the 1992 fact sheet law while still a state senator. Page loading time had become excessive.