CHICAGO—The American Dental Association (ADA) Standards Committee seeks work group volunteers to assist in the development of a uniform procedure for collecting, storing and shipping amalgam waste. Dental amalgam is an alloy made of silver, copper, tin, zinc and elemental mercury and is widely used to fill decayed teeth. Although the ADA encourages its member dentists to recycle dental amalgam waste, there currently is no uniform, national standard on how to prepare the material for recycling. Because guidelines vary from one recycling company to another, many dentists are unsure how to prepare dental amalgam for recycling. The ADA believes a uniform standard will simplify the procedure for dental office staff and anticipates recycling companies across the country will widely adopt the standard.
The vast majority of mercury in surface water is from coal-fired utility plan exhaust. An assessment of numerous environmental studies determined that a mere two percent of waste amalgam enters surface water. Nevertheless, just as people increasingly are recycling at home, the ADA encourages recycling in the dental office and has developed a comprehensive set of Best Management Practices, which includes amalgam-recycling guidelines.
The amalgam recycling standard is intended to promote the use of ADA best management practices for amalgam waste, to provide uniformity in shipping the waste to recyclers and to simplify the handling and processing of amalgam waste.
Volunteers interested in participating in the working group for the amalgam recycling standard should contact Janet Hagen at 312-440-2506 or hagenj@ada.org