A new proposed EPA rule is seeking to regulate the disposal and discharge of dental amalgam. The concern is that dental amalgam (fillings) are made up of of liquid mercury and a powdered alloy composed of silver, tin, and copper. The EPA is trying to make sure that these won’t end up in the publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). The new rule is seeking to make sure that the mercury and the metals are captured and disposed of properly BEFORE it’s washed down the sink and into the POTWs.
Dentists all across the country would have to install a special unit called an amalgam separator to capture and separate these elements.
The American Dental Association (ADA) is, rightly concerned with the cost of these units and the cost of installation for dentists who will need to make the move.
You can read and/or download the new proposed rule, which is still under consideration, at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-10-22/pdf/2014-24347.pdf
What isn’t addressed in this proposal is the safety of the doctors and staff at the dental clinics as the breathe in the airborne particles when these filings are removed.