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Related Experiment Videos

Laboratory evaluation of amalgam separators.

P L Fan1, Hanu Batchu, Hwai-Nan Chou

  • 1Division of Science, American Dental Association, Chicago, Ill 60611, USA. fanp@ada.org

Journal of the American Dental Association (1939)
|May 31, 2002
PubMed
Summary

All tested dental amalgam separators exceeded the 95% removal efficiency standard. However, total mercury and dissolved mercury concentrations in effluent varied widely, indicating a need for improved testing methods for mercury removal in dental wastewater.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Dental amalgam discharge is under regulatory scrutiny due to mercury's environmental impact.
  • Amalgam separators are key to reducing mercury release from dental offices into sewer systems.
  • Evaluating separator efficiency is crucial for environmental mercury reduction initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the amalgam removal efficiency of commercial amalgam separators.
  • To determine total mercury concentration in the effluent of tested separators.
  • To evaluate compliance with environmental discharge regulations.

Main Methods:

  • Tested 12 amalgam separators using International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Standard 11143.
  • Calculated total mercury concentration using EPA Method 245.1 for various particle sizes.

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  • Measured total dissolved mercury in the effluent.

    • Main Results:

    • All 12 separators surpassed the ISO 11143 requirement of 95% amalgam removal efficiency.
    • Significant statistical differences were observed in the removal efficiencies among the separators.
    • Wide variations in total mercury and total dissolved mercury concentrations were found in the effluent.

    Conclusions:

    • Amalgam separators achieved at least 96.09% amalgam removal in laboratory conditions per ISO 11143.
    • Effluent mercury concentrations varied significantly across different separators.
    • Further research is required to develop advanced testing methods for small, colloidal, and ionic mercury removal.