Dental Amalgam Waste Protocol
Environment Canada intends to publish a Final Notice in the Canada Gazette in December 2009 that will require some dentists to prepare and implement pollution prevention (P2) plans regarding mercury releases from dental amalgam waste.
Best management practices for amalgam include the installation of an ISO 11143 certified amalgam separator in the practice and the use of a certified hazardous waste carrier for the recycling or disposal of amalgam waste.
Dentists who have already adopted best management practices for amalgam waste, or whose facilities are in compliance with provincial or municipal legislation that meet the requirements of the notice about mercury disposal, will not be affected when the notice takes effect. Similarly, dental facilities that exclusively practise the specialties of oral and maxillofacial radiology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral medicine and pathology, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, and periodontics are exempt from the new requirements, because these practitioners do not generate sufficient quantities of amalgam waste.
The final P2 planning notice will apply to dentists who have not voluntarily implemented these best management practices. According to the new federal requirements, these dentists would have to prepare a P2 plan no later than 3 months after the publication of the Final Notice and implement the plan no later than 6 months after its publication.
Read the Environment Canada fact sheet on the Final Notice and P2 plans.
Background
The Canadian Dental Association (CDA) has worked closely with Environment Canada on amalgam waste disposal for many years. In February 2002, representatives of Environment Canada and CDA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), agreeing to work together to help to reduce the amount of dental amalgam waste released into the environment.
The MOU document contained the Canada-wide Standards (CWS) on mercury from dental amalgam waste, and also defined the roles of both parties in ensuring voluntary implementation of these standards.
The primary objective of these voluntary standards was to reduce the amount of mercury released from dentistry into waste waters by 95% in 2005, from a baseline of 2000. The profession has made significant strides toward achieving the CWS targets, due to the ongoing efforts of Canadian dentists.
Most dentists recognize the need to collect their amalgam waste, but may require further guidance about how to properly dispose of the collected materials.
Environment Canada has a detailed section on its website that helps clarify and highlight current dental amalgam waste protocols. The site includes the specific requirements for dental amalgam waste management in every jurisdiction in Canada and offers links to the pertinent provincial and territorial regulations and bylaws. For questions about amalgam waste disposal requirements in your area, please contact your provincial or territorial dental regulatory authority.
CDA recognizes dental amalgam as a safe restorative material, but acknowledges that dental amalgam waste should be captured and recovered to prevent the release of mercury into the environment. CDA has always supported a voluntary approach to the implementation of the CWS and encourages dentists to install an amalgam separator at their practice.
For specific questions regarding P2 plans, please contact Ms. Marie-Hélène Lacasse in Environment Canada’s Waste Reduction and Management Division at tel.: (819) 934-6059 or email: marie-helene.lacasse@ec.gc.ca.
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