Dentists, take note! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced plans to require every US dentist have an amalgam separator.
The proposed rule would likely take effect by 2014. Twelve US states already require separators.
In their announcement, the EPA stated that 3.7 tons of mercury are discharged each year by US dental practices. A 2003 study funded by the ADA found that dental mercury is the source of about 50% of the mercury encountered by water treatment plants.
Expect this to be a topic of discussion at the ADA annual meeting later this month.
Read more: US EPA to regulate dental mercury waste