Legislator testified on anti-mercury law
Rep. Karen Johnson, R-Mesa, testified before a congressional subcommittee Monday about her campaign for federal and state laws to require dentists to discuss alternatives to mercury fillings with their patients.

Johnson spoke to the House Subcommitee on Wellness and Human Rights at a Los Angeles hearing about claims that mercury amalgam fillings can poison a person's body, with children and pregnant women being at highest risk.

Concerns have grown in recent years among some medical researchers, but the American Dental Association says mercury fillings are sage.

Johnson Also plans to reintroduce a bill this year that would require Arizona dentists to provide written disclosures to patients and discuss possible alternatives to mercury fillings.

Arizona Republic, 1/27/04