EXCERPTED TEXT
re:think
It’s
time to reconsider the way you handle amalgam.
You already know amalgam contains mercury. What you may
not realize is that amalgam releases elemental mercury
when it is incinerated. Vaporized mercury then settles on land
and water. Because
mercury doesn’t ever break down, it bioaccumulates in the
environment and causes health problems throughout the
food chain.
By taking preventive action now, Minnesota dentists can help
restore the health of our environment. The solution is both cost-effective
and simple. The answer is an amalgam separator.
Chairside traps collect the large chunks of amalgam when
restorations are placed or removed, or approximately
half of the amalgam generated. Chairside traps combined
with a vacuum
filter
remove
even more – up
to approximately three-fourths of the amalgam generated.
With the installation of an approved separator, dentists
can prevent 99% of their amalgam
waste from entering the office wastewater and contributing
to the accumulations of mercury in our lakes and streams.
Amalgam waste that is captured can be processed by a
recycling facility to recover mercury safely. However,
if dentists don’t
capture amalgam waste, it ends up in wastewater treatment
plant sludge that is incinerated or applied to fields
where our food is grown.Dentists have already taken steps
to capture amalgam in the dental office through the use of best
management
practices. But we need to do more. As an example,
we can look to the voluntary, cooperative program in the Duluth area, where
dentists have installed amalgam separators to reduce
the amalgam and mercury discharge
into Lake Superior. Now dentists throughout all of Minnesota have the opportunity
to be proactive environmental stewards.
The Minnesota Dental Association strongly recommends that you install an
approved amalgam separator. It is a reasonable, cost-effective way for
Minnesota dentists
to stop contributing mercury to our lakes and streams. It’s the right
thing
– for your practice, the community, and the environment.
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program
booklet