EPA Sets Sights on Mercury Waste from Dental Offices The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 21 announced it intends
to propose a rule to reduce mercury waste from dental offices.
Dental amalgams, or fillings containing mercury, account for 3.7
tons of mercury discharged from dental offices each year. The
mercury waste results when old mercury fillings are replaced
with new ones. The mercury in dental fillings is flushed into
chair-side drains and enters the wastewater systems, making its
way into the environment through discharges to rivers and lakes,
incineration, or land application of sewage sludge. Mercury
released through amalgam discharges can be easily managed and
prevented. EPA expects to propose a rule next year and finalize
it in 2012. Dental offices will be able to use existing
technology to meet the proposed requirements. Amalgam separators
can separate out 95 percent of the mercury normally discharged
to the local waste treatment plant. The separator captures the
mercury, which is then