EPA Adopts the Dental Amalgam Rules

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued last week its pretreatment standards to reduce discharges of mercury from dental offices into publicly owned treatment works (POTWs).  We had blogged previously when the rules were proposed in October 2014.

 

Dental offices discharge mercury present in amalgam used for fillings. According to the Agency, “amalgam separators are a practical, affordable and readily available technology for capturing mercury and other metals before they are discharged into sewers that drain to POTWs.” EPA anticipates that once captured by a separator, mercury may be recycled.

 

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