Amalgam separation down to a science
According to the EPA, dental practices discharge 3.7 tons of mercury to publicly owned treatment works facilities each year, making dental practices the No. 1 contributor of mercury, which can ultimately contaminate the water supply. More and more municipalities and states across the country have already mandated that dental practices use amalgam separation to remove mercury.
Solmetex’s Hg5 is the gold standard in amalgam separation and comes in several sizes to fi t a practice’s setup. What makes Solmetex different, though, is their “Total Solution Provider” concept that integrates waste handling and recycling into the complete product line to provide a “green” set of solutions.
Stephen Gordon, DDS, a DPS evaluator who practices in Chicago, brought the Hg5 into his practice 7 years ago and uses it to proactively discuss the negative aspects of mercury-containing fillings with all of his patients.
“I enjoy discussing the fact that when we remove these fillings, we precisely collect this hazardous waste using the Solmetex Hg5 and send it out for reprocessing. These patients appreciate our concern for the safety of the Chicago water system. They understand that without this system we would be contributing to mercury pollution in Lake Michigan.”
The Hg5 meets or exceeds all state and federal requirements for the safe removal of mercury in the dental office, is ISO 11143-certified at greater than 99%, and is easy to operate and virtually maintenance free.
“[The Hg5] offers low device maintenance with very simple cartridge replacement that takes just a few minutes to perform, and I have had no additional evacuator system maintenance since we have installed this system,” said Dr. Gordon.
