The Environmentally Responsible Dentist - Dental Amalgam Recycling: Principles, Pathways and Practice

Abstract Dental amalgam waste is a significant contributor of mercury discharges to municipal wastewater treatment facilities, often referred to as publicly-owned treatment works (POTWs). While POTWs have a high efficiency rate of removing amalgam from wastewaters (approximately 90%), small amounts of waste amalgam are discharged from POTWs into surface waters around the plants. In 2003, dental offices were found have been the source of 50% of all mercury pollution entering POTWs. Further, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that dentists discharge approximately 3.7 tons of mercury each year to POTWs. Marquette University's School of Dentistry, along with the EPA has developed a teaching module to educate dental students on proper dental amalgam waste management. The module aims to raise dental students' awareness of the dental amalgam waste issue and to provide the students with practical steps to reduce the release of amalgam waste to the environment. The resource consists of a 1-hour PowerPoint that can be easily incorporated into a dental institution's curriculum. The utilization of this module as a continuing education presentation will make the dental student, practicing clinician, and dental team more aware of their role in helping to maintain a healthy water supply by acting in an environmentally responsible manner