Desiccated Iris.

A trip to the dentist caused a little thought today; I was offered a standard amalgam filling for £20 - or one without mercury for £70. My usual dentist is on maternity leave and her stand-in is Swedish; he claimed that many countries had banned mercury, including his homeland; though he disagreed with Wikipedia on which year.
 
On returning home I Googled the issue and discovered, much as my dentist had suggested that international health authorities are keen to have mercury banned as soon as possible but that the British Dental Association wish to delay this until 2030 (Brexit may extend this deadline until the next millennium). It cites research which it claims provide no evidence that amalgam fillings are damaging to health while, at the same time, advising pregnant and breastfeeding women not to have them(?); what they will not say is who sponsors the research or that there is no proof that they are safe. As numerous lay people have asked, “Does it seem wise to put something that consists of 50% mercury (the fifth most toxic element) into your mouth, keep it there for fifteen years and then replace it with a fresh one?”
 
I’ve not trusted dentists since I discovered just how toxic fluoride is. Fluorine comes in at number six in the toxic list.
 
The Blip is of an iris that I have been hiding from Mrs TD for several weeks; she can have it back now. It is past worrying about toxicity.