Most dental facilities that have not installed an amalgam separator to comply with a rule published in June 2017 by the Environmental Protection Agency must install an amalgam separator by July 14, 2020. A facility is exempt if it certifies it does not place dental amalgam and does not remove amalgam except in limited circumstances or if it is one of six exempt dental specialties.
The EPA’s rule is intended to reduce the discharge of mercury from dental offices into publicly owned treatment works, which discharge treated wastewater to rivers, lakes, bays and the ocean. Amalgam separators capture this mercury prior to discharge into sewers and allow it to be recycled or properly disposed.
To effectively capture mercury, the amalgam separator must be compliant with either the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) American National Standard/American Dental Association Specification 108 for Amalgam Separators (2009) With Technical Addendum (2011) or the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 11143 Standard (2008) or subsequent versions as long as that version requires amalgam separators to achieve at least a 95% removal efficiency. Regular inspection and maintenance in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions is required.
The EPA rule requires dental facilities to collect all waste amalgam, including amalgam in chairside traps, screens, vacuum pump filters, instruments or collection devices, and prohibits the use of line cleaners that have a pH lower than 6 or greater than 8, are acidic or contain oxidizers. California has additional amalgam waste management requirements.
Q&A covers specifications, record-keeping requirements
The CDA resource Amalgam Separator Requirement — Q&A (member login required) can help members comply with the requirement. The Q&A covers in detail questions about compliance dates and expectations, specifications, documentation and record-keeping requirements, including a requirement that facilities submit to their local sanitation agency a one-time compliance report. A sample Amalgam Separator Inspection and Maintenance Log is also available.
CDA will remind dentists about the July 2020 compliance deadline as it nears. Dentists should keep in mind the availability of technicians to install the equipment.
Dental facilities that had installed properly functioning amalgam separators prior to June 14, 2017, are required to replace their separators by June 14, 2027.