USA set to monitor dental waste
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it will monitor dental waste in a bid to reduce the amount of mercury discarded by dentists.
The EPA is proposing to bring in a new law to regulate mercury waste and decrease the amount of mercury disposed of by dentists; the new rule will be a complete contradiction of the policy launched during the Bush era. Under George Bush, the EPA policy allowed dentists to decide whether or not to install mercury separating devices, which remove mercury from old fillings so that it can be recycled and reused for alternative purposes.
Currently, around 50 percent of the mercury found in local waste plants comes from dental offices; each year 3.7 tons of mercury is thrown away from dental offices. The vast majority of mercury waste from dental offices comes from amalgam fillings and amalgam can be harmful when it is released into the environment. When the amalgams reach the sewage system, specific types of microorganism can convert the mercury into methylmercury, which is a toxic version of the chemical, which can collect in fish and shellfish. Humans can potentially be harmed when they eat fish or shellfish, which contain methylmercury; the chemical can be particularly damaging to unborn babies and can affect development and growth.
The new EPA policy will require dentists to install mercury separating devices, which will drastically reduce the amount of mercury discharged into waste plants and sewage systems. Michael Bender, from the National Mercury Products Campaign, has welcomed the new EPA initiative, which he claims will reduce mercury waste and set a good example to dentists all over the world.
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“The vast majority of mercury waste from dental offices comes from amalgam fillings and amalgam can be harmful when it is released into the environment.”
So.. we clean the enviroment by putting it in your mouth!