When you think of the types of businesses that have been infamous for pollution, you might conjure up images of power plants and oil refineries.
But dental offices are also a source of environmental contamination. Dental amalgam contains mercury, and if disposed of improperly, that mercury ends up in the air and water supply. Amalgam in its solid state is safe for using in patients; it’s the discharged version that poses health risks.
How much of a risk?
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, dental offices are the largest source of mercury at sewage treatment plants. The EPA says sewage treatment plants can remove about 90 percent of the mercury, but the rest ends up in the environment, where it can accumulate in the fish and shellfish we eat. Mercury exposure is associated with various neurological conditions, and can be particularly dangerous in children and developing fetuses.
The dangers of mercury, studied for more than 10 years by the EPA, resulted in a new regulation that took effect in July requiring dental offices, schools and clinics that discharge to a municipal treatment plant to install amalgam separators.
An amalgam separator collects and stores teeth fragments, dental amalgam and mercury from dental wastewater into a container, while the filtered water continues through its existing disposal process.
Whether you have an existing practice and need to get into compliance, or if you have a new practice and want to get off to the right start with mercury disposal, you may want to consider Solmetex’s NXT Hg5 Amalgam Separator. The NXT Hg5 meets or exceeds all state and federal guidelines for amalgam removal. and is the company’s most popular choice for amalgam separation. There are three models; the standard is the most popular size and accommodates up to 10 chairs and can be floor or wall mounted.
When the NXT Hg5’s collection container reaches the full line (or if it’s been 12 months), you simply remove the full collection container from the amalgam separator, cap it, package it up in the Solmetex recycle kit and affix the UPS shipping label (provided by Solmetex.com). The container will be shipped to an EPA approved recycling facility to be properly and safely recycled. The recycling kit contains a new collection container, so the practice is never without a new collection container at the ready. The NXT Hg5 is maintenance free and has a flexible design, and can be used with both wet and dry vacuum systems.
Don’t put off compliance; mercury exposure is no myth, and dentists can be the environmental heroes we need.