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The facts about the Hg load are in the news today.
The major worldwide Hg load contributors are:
Forest fires and Volcanoes 55% China industries 22%
American coal burning electrical plants contribute <1% to
the *global* Hg environmental load.
How do you like them apples ?
--
W_B
Take out the G'RBAGE
[email hidden]
Quoted message said:Subject: PING: CZ, Do you like apples ?
From: W_B [email hidden]
Date: 4/5/2004 9:11 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id: <[email hidden]>The facts about the Hg load are in the news today.
The major worldwide Hg load contributors are:
Forest fires and Volcanoes 55% China industries 22%
American coal burning electrical plants contribute <1% to
the *global* Hg environmental load.How do you like them apples ?
methinks you are trying to excuse the dentists.
tuberose.comMercury Disposal.htmlOpen ↗
Dental Mercury Disposal Metal Detoxification The Scientific
Case Against Amalgam Homocysteine Redox Find A Mercury-Free
Dentist Truth Decay Book ...if they have as few as 4 amalgam
fillings present in their mouth, the average person's saliva
is so high in mercury they cannot legally spit into the
toilet. Their saliva exceeds the EPA maximum legal municipal
discharge standard for mercury..--David Kennedy D.D.S.
toxicteeth.orgpressRoom releases 031903 polOpen ↗
luters.cfm
THE NATION Dentists Biggest Mercury Polluters, New Study
Finds Health: The metal is widely used in fillings and ends
up in the nation's waste water. By ELIZABETH SHOGREN TIMES
STAFF WRITER June 6, 2002
WASHINGTON - Coal-fired power plants are notorious for being
the biggest source of mercury pollution in the air. But now,
new attention is being directed at another, much less known
source of mercury contamination in water--dentists.
A new report shows that dentists are the largest single
source of mercury pollution in waste water funneled into the
nation's treatment plants.
Mercury is a potent toxin that can damage the human brain,
spinal cord, kidney and liver, and is especially dangerous
for unborn children. While many other sources of mercury
pollution have drastically cut their use of the heavy metal,
dentists continue to use it widely in fillings.
"Pretty much all the mercury they're using gets released
into the environment. Why aren't they doing more to reduce
that use?" said Michael Bender, director of the Mercury
Policy Project, a foundation-funded group that was one of
the authors of the study.
Power plants emit mercury into the air and it falls into
streams and rivers. Many dentists flush it down their drains
and it goes directly into waste-water treatment plants,
which do not effectively filter it from the water.
In a statement responding to the report, the American Dental
Assn. said it was aware that some particles from fillings
end up in waste water, and it urges dentists to follow
proper procedures for handling and recycling the composite
used for fillings, which they refer to as "amalgam." But the
association argued that the mercury from their fillings
remains in a form that is not harmful to humans.
"However, a 1996 study found that when amalgam particles
were subjected to simulated waste-water treatment processes,
no soluble mercury was detected, even at a concentration of
1 part per billion," according to the statement.
The group stressed that it was currently implementing a new
plan to address the problem.
The new report's authors said that dentists, through
voluntary or mandatory measures, should trap their waste
mercury before it flows into plumbing fixtures that have
been contaminated with mercury for years.
The report referred to a 2001 study by the Assn. of
Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies that evaluated seven major
municipal waste-water treatment plants and determined that
dental uses were "by far" the greatest contributors to the
mercury reaching their facilities. They were responsible for
40% of the load, three times more than the next largest
contributor.
Several other countries regulate releases of dental mercury.
In Canada, a new standard requires dentists to trap the
pieces of filling before they go down the drain. The goal is
to reduce releases by 95% by 2005.
In May, the New Hampshire Legislature became the first in
the nation to pass legislation governing disposal methods
for dental mercury.
The California Assembly considered a measure to phase out
the use of mercury in fillings but did not adopt it.
The report suggests that mercury in dentistry has become the
exception while other major users of mercury have changed
their practices.
In 1985 dental facilities used 3% of all the mercury used
nationwide. Last year, although dentists used less mercury,
their use accounted for 20% of all uses. Only two other industries--
wiring devices and switches and chloralkali--used more.
Gina Solomon, a physician who focuses on the health effects
of mercury for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said
that there was still controversy about whether the fillings
put dental patients at risk. And she stressed that those who
have such fillings should not get them removed, because
taking them out heightens the chance of exposure.
However, she said the science is clear that the mercury that
goes down the drain can end up in the food chain.
"There is scientific consensus that mercury that ends up in
the waste water and water bodies will accumulate in the fish
and pose a direct human health problem to people who eat the
fish; that is uncontroversial and is something that can be
fixed," Solomon said.
If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives
at www.latimes.com/archive. For information about reprinting
this article, go to www.lats.com/rights.
Copyright 2002 Los Angeles Times
Boston Globe Mercury Report Names Dentists As Major
Polluters
By Beth Daley, Boston Globe Staff
The common dentist office practice of flushing old mercury-
containing fillings down the drain makes dentists the single
largest discharger of the toxic metal into the nation's
wastewater treatment plants, according to a national study
by a Boston-based public health group. Most of the mercury
is eventually discharged into bodies of water.
In a time that everyone from hospitals to coal-burning power
plants are taking steps to reduce emissions of mercury,
Health Care Without Harm, along with other environmental
groups, is calling on dentists to follow suit. US dentists
still use about 40 tons a year of mercury to make silver
fillings. While the fillings may be fine for years in
people's mouths, the report sponsors' say, they spend a much
longer time in the environment, where they can break down.
''In the last seven years, hospitals in Greater Boston have
reduced mercury pollution,'' said Bill Ravanesi, campaign
director of Health Care Without Harm, one of the seven
sponsors of the report ''Dentist The Menace?'' He is calling
for dentists to use separation devices to capture the
mercury before it is washed away.
***''Everyone is doing their part, but the dental industry
hasn't reduced their pollution at all,''***** Ravanesi said.
Mercury is a naturally occurring metal, but it can do nerve
and brain damage in certain forms and harm fetuses if
pregnant women ingest it. Alice in Wonderland's ''Mad
Hatter'' was based on milliners who suffered from mental
problems after using mercury to soften felt.
For the past 150 years, dentists have used an inexpensive
and durable amalgam of mercury, silver, tin, copper, and
zinc to fill cavities, with mercury as the main ingredient.
Critics for years have argued that people with mercury
fillings can become ill, but the scientific community still
considers the fillings safe to use.
Although some dentists still use mercury-based fillings, the
use of white plastic composites is increasing.
There has been little discussion on the dangers of washed-
away fillings until now.
****Yesterday, American Dental Association officials said
the fillings pose little danger to the environment because
the alloy doesn't break down.****
(LIES from organized mdicine and dentistry)
Officials there said they don't oppose in-office devices to
prevent mercury from going down the drain, but said it's
hardly necessary.
''It's a very stable material,'' said Dan Meyer, director of
science for the American Dental Association. ''We have an
ethical and moral obligation to do good, and we would never
do anything to cause harm to the public.''
(WOW!!!!)
Do see:
wholisticresearch.comartshow.php3Open ↗
Still, the report's sponsors, who include the Mercury Policy
Project in Vermont and Clean Water Action in Boston, say
evidence exists that the alloy does break down, releasing
mercury into the environment. For around $50 a month, the
report's author estimates, dentists could capture and
recycle the mercury from old fillings.
''It can cost the price of a filling each month to fix,''
said Michael Bender of the Mercury Policy Project and author
of the report.
New England is now one of the most aggressive in reducing
mercury use. Two years ago, New Hampshire became the first
state in the country to ban the use of mercury in
thermometers. Last summer, Massachusetts public health
officials urged young women and children under age 12 to
stop eating most fish from the state's lakes and streams.
Meanwhile, a first-of-its-kind mercury law in New Hampshire
calls for rules for dentists to trap their mercury.
In 1985, dentists were about the sixth-largest user of
mercury, behind batteries and factories that use it to
produce chlorine, paint, and measuring instruments,
according to the report. Now, with mercury in many products
outlawed, phased-out, or reduced, dentists are the third-
largest user of mercury, behind the makers of wiring devices
and switches, and chlorine. The report says dentists use
about 44 tons of mercury each year, most of which is
eventually released into the environment.
''To me, it's plain and simple,'' says G. Robert Evans, a
dentist with West Newton Dental Associates. Evans said he
gave up using mercury in fillings close to 20 years ago.
''It's going to accumulate in the environment if we don't
keep it out. So I keep it out.''
This story ran on page A3 of the Boston Globe on 6/5/2002.
Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.
fluoridealert.org1102.htmlOpen ↗
Massachusetts Dental Society "Honored" with Dirty
Dozen Award
Latest News from Massachusetts
Fluoride concerns raised by W&S commissioner Fluoridation
controversy in Longmeadow Water plant remains closed after
fluoride malfunction Marlboro water flooded with fluoride
Fluoridation Accident in Marlboro Read more news from
Massachusetts
Health Care Without Harm Wednesday 04 December 2002
Massachusetts Dental Society "Honored" with Dirty Dozen
Award Dentists Poisoning Waterways with Mercury
Southborough - The Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) today
received a 2002 Dirty Dozen Award spotlighting it as one of
the twelve top polluters in the Commonwealth for unregulated
mercury discharges. In the process of restoring teeth with
so-called "silver" fillings - actually 50% mercury -
dentists nation wide use approximately 40 metric tons of
mercury each year, most of which is eventually released into
the environment.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can affect the brain,
spinal cord, kidneys and liver. One in 10 reproductive-age
American women carry enough mercury in their blood to pose a
threat of neurological damage to the fetus if they got
pregnant, according to a 2001 Centers for Disease Control &
Prevention study.
"While many other industries, including hospitals, are
phasing out the use of mercury products, dentists continue
to use large amounts of mercury and dispose of it
improperly. We call on the MDS, and on dentists
everywhere, to pledge to stop polluting our environment
and endangering our health," said Tiffany Skogstrom of
Health Care Without Harm.
In 2001, the MDS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
with the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA)
for the ‘Reduction of the Release of Mercury’. The MOU
focused on educational outreach to dentists, developing
dental amalgam recovery systems, and creating a program to
reduce the release of mercury. Despite this agreement,
dentist offices continue to be the single largest source of
mercury in Massachusetts, discharging 36 pounds or 13% of
mercury that enters Massachusetts Bay each year.
“The MDS should require dentists to capture mercury with a
filter before it enters waterways,†said Jay Rasku of the
Toxics Action Center. Once in waterways, mercury
bioaccumulates in fish, prompting the DPH to advise women of
child-bearing age and children under 12 against eating fish
caught in the state. “We also call on the EOEA to meet its
zero emissions goal by imposing mandatory actions for
mercury reduction in dentistry, not voluntary programs.â€
"Although there is substantial scientific evidence that
mercury is dangerous to the environment and human health,
the MDS is not implementing safety measures that would
require dentists to trap and recycle this toxic metal," said
Brent Baeslack, a representative from the Merrimack Valley
Environmental Coalition.
Fortunately, alternative filling materials are available,
and there are cost effective devices to properly manage
waste dental mercury. "For about $50 a month, slightly less
than the cost of a single filling, dentists could stop
mercury from going down the drain," said Baeslack.
The sixth annual Dirty Dozen Awards spotlight twelve of the
Commonwealth’s top polluters. These sites pose a
significant threat to public health and the environment and
need immediate action by industry and/or government
officials. The Dirty Dozen Awards were selected from a set
of nominations by a five-member panel of environmental and
public health professionals.
Apples - organic (which are getting harder and harder to
find these days) Anth
"W_B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
The facts about the Hg load are in the news today.The major worldwide Hg load contributors are:
Forest fires and Volcanoes 55% China industries 22%
American coal burning electrical plants contribute <1% to
the *global* Hg environmental load.How do you like them apples ?
--
W_B
Take out the G'RBAGE [email hidden]
Quoted message said:Subject: Re: CZ, Do you like apples ?
From: "Anth" [email hidden]
Date: 4/7/2004 2:05 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id: <[email hidden]>Apples - organic (which are getting harder and harder to
find these days) Anth"W_B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...Quoted message said:
The facts about the Hg load are in the news today.The major worldwide Hg load contributors are:
Forest fires and Volcanoes 55% China industries 22%
American coal burning electrical plants contribute <1% to
the *global* Hg environmental load.How do you like them apples ?
--
W_B
The denstists remain in denial and it is everyone
elses' baby.
tuberose.comMercury Disposal.htmlOpen ↗
Dental Mercury Disposal Metal Detoxification The Scientific
Case Against Amalgam Homocysteine Redox Find A Mercury-Free
Dentist Truth Decay Book ...if they have as few as 4 amalgam
fillings present in their mouth, the average person's saliva
is so high in mercury they cannot legally spit into the
toilet. Their saliva exceeds the EPA maximum legal municipal
discharge standard for mercury..--David Kennedy D.D.S.
Mercury is a persistent, bioaccumulative toxin that poses a
risk to human health, wildlife and the environment. While
there has been considerable public debate about the
potential health effects of mercury fillings, little
attention has been focused thus far on the disposal of waste
dental mercury. While mercury is a naturally occurring
metallic element, human activities--including the use of
dental fillings--contribute 70% of emissions into the
environment. Levels of mercury in the environment have
increased dramatically, with a twenty-fold increase over the
past 270 years. Today, dentists are the third largest user
of mercury in the U.S., consuming over 40 metric tons of
mercury annually with most eventually released into the
environment. In 1993, it was estimated that 150 million
amalgam restorations were placed in the USA, weighing over
75 tons, by 175,000 U.S. dentists, and that there are 22
billion existing amalgam restorations that will eventually
have to be removed, according to the A.D.A. The average
dentist's office produces up to a kilogram of mercury waste
every year, according to estimates. Environment Canada says
it all adds up to about two tons of toxic material--the same
amount that coal-fired power plants spew into the air.
The name "mercury-free dentist" is misleading. The so-called
mercury free dentist releases enough mercury in one day to
contaminate a 22,000-acre lake to above acceptable discharge
levels. The largest single source of dental mercury released
into the environment comes from the removal of existing
amalgams from patients during dental procedures (replacement
fillings, crowns, extractions, etc). Extracted amalgam
materials are either rinsed down the drain--usually to a
municipal wastewater system (or septic system) where it can
build up in sewage sludge--deposited in biomedical waste
containers destined for waste incineration or autoclaves, or
placed in the trash that is later disposed in municipal
waste landfills or incinerators. It is estimated when an
amalgam is prepared for a filling, 10% is leftover and is
often simply discarded. The "over-pack" portion is either
drawn into the dental clinic's waste vacuum system or is
expelled by the patient into a chair side cuspidor. But the
majority of dental mercury waste is discarded into
wastewater systems.
Dental clinics remain largely unregulated for mercury
disposal and extracted amalgam materials are often rinsed
down the drain, usually to a municipal wastewater system or
septic systems, deposited in biomedical waste containers
destined for waste incineration, or placed in trash disposed
in a municipal waste landfill or incinerator. The American
Dental Association (ADA), as well as many state dental
associations, have refrained from promoting, and have even
opposed mercury reduction efforts. Following the lead of the
ADA, the U.S. dental establishment has consistently resisted
efforts to reduce releases of mercury and follow suit with
the rest of the health care establishment. The ADA refuses
to encourage its members to assume responsibility for
curtailing dental mercury pollution, opting instead to
obstruct initiative at the state and local levels. Many
countries, especially in Western Europe and Canada--and a
small, but growing number of local and state governments in
the U.S.--now recognize dental mercury waste as a serious
environmental pollutant and are enacting both voluntary
guidelines and stringent policies to curtail its release.
Studies by EPA and numerous municipalities document that
most municipal wastewater treatment plants have high
levels of mercury with significant contributions from
dental clinics. Recently, the Association of Metropolitan
Sewerage Agencies (AMSA) evaluated seven major municipal
wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to determine and
quantify sources of mercury coming into these facilities.
AT all plants, dental uses were identified as "by far" the
greatest contributors to the mercury-load, accounting on
average for 40% of the load, more than three times the
next largest source.
There is little debate that municipal wastewater treatment
systems are not designed to treat hazardous waste or reduce
mercury loadings to the environment. Consequently, all
mercury in the influent wastewater remains unattenuated in
municipal treatment plants, and either settles out in the
grit chamber or residuals (sludge, or biosolids), or passes
through the system to be discharged into a downstream lake,
river or ocean along with the "treated" effluent. Moreover,
conditions at certain points within the wastewater treatment
process are perhaps favorable for promoting methylation of
mercury within the wastewater or sludge. This has the effect
of converting a portion of the influent mercury into its
more toxic, organic form (methyl mercury), which is also
highly soluble and able to pass through the facility to the
receiving water body.
Mercury amalgam particles that drop out of wastewater in
the grit chamber (the initial coarse settling chamber at
the front end of a treatment plant), are most commonly
landfilled along with all other filtered materials. The
residual sludge, which is the primary byproduct of the
treatment process, is frequently incinerated. Incineration
releases the mercury directly into the atmosphere as
mercury vapor.
Studies indicate that as much as 95% of the mercury load to
the treatment plants is released to the atmosphere during
sludge incineration, with the balance discharged to a body
of water or landfilled. When not landfilled or incinerated,
biosolids are used in fertilizers or other soil additives.
Agricultural sludge application can lead to mercury
contaminated soil and groundwater, as well as direct
volatilization to the atmosphere. Regulations for land
application of sludge in the U.S. are far less restrictive
for mercury and other heavy metals than many other
countries. This practice has not been thoroughly studied and
is further hindered by the fact that both state and federal
agencies responsible for regulating sludge-spreading are
also often responsible for promoting it.
Mercury In Traps, Drains, and Sewer Pipes Following years of
use, the plumbing in dental offices can become significantly
laden with dental amalgam. Studies show that high levels of
mercury are accumulating in sewer pipes from dental offices,
presenting potential liability concerns to land owners.
Amalgam particles trapped in dental office plumbing and
drainage pipes have been found to provide a continuing
source of dissolved mercury to wastewater over time. The
slow dissolution of mercury amalgam in dental office
plumbing, as well as in the municipal sewer system, serves
as a long-term source of mercury to the receiving facility
and is eventually released to the environment.
Mercury In Septic Systems Where no publicly operated
treatment works exist, dental clinics frequently rely on
septic systems for wastewater disposal. Similar to municipal
treatment plants, the potential for methylation exists in
the anaerobic environment of a septic tank, which can lead
to the production and discharge of methyl mercury at private
disposal fields. At these locations, the mercury path to the
environment is more direct and the soils and groundwater
surrounding the drain fields of these systems can become
contaminated with mercury. Significant levels of mercury
contamination have been detected both within septic tanks as
well as adjacent to, and downgradient from, disposal fields
receiving wastewater from dental clinics. The drain fields
of septic systems receiving dental wastewater have the
potential to serve as point sources of mercury contamination
to the underlying and adjacent soils and groundwater, and
may potentially convey environmental liability on to the
property owner, and/or wastewater generator.
Solid Waste Mercury-bearing scrap amalgam is often discarded
into the trash and leaves the dental office by solid waste
hauler and is either landfilled or incinerated. The mercury
in amalgam disposed in a landfill may break down over time
and co-mingle with landfill leachate. Depending on the
landfill, mercury may enter groundwater, contaminate
underlying soils, volatilize into the vapor phase and
dissipate to the atmosphere or, when landfill leachate is
sent to a wastewater treatment plant, is taken up in sewage
sludge that is either re-landfilled or distributed. Also,
formulation and release of methane gas from landfilled
mercury may contribute to production of mercury emissions
within the landfill.
Biomedical Waste Incineration/Sterilization Waste dental
mercury is often disposed into the biomedical waste
container. A recent survey found that 25 to 30 percent of
dentists place their contact amalgam wastes into biomedical
"red bags" that are often incinerated. Medical waste is a
special type of regulated waste due to the potential
presence of bacteria and pathogens, which is separated and
handled differently from other solid wastes. If any amalgam
has come in contact with the mouth or has been removed from
or with teeth, it is considered contact amalgam and is often
discarded into biomedial waste. So-called "red-bag" waste is
often sent to a medical waste incinerator, where the mercury
is vaporized into the atmosphere. Some handlers of
biomedical waste sterilize it with high temperature and
pressure steam in a process known as "autoclaving."
Oftentimes, these facilities operate with no emission
controls or standards, which result in mercury vapor
releases, and discharge of effluent to the local wastewater
system following sterilization. The residuals from this
process are landfilled.
Recycling A small but increasing number of dental clinics
are beginning to have their mercury recycled. Where
collection systems are in place, approximately 60% of all
mercury-bearing amalgam waste is captured in coarse filters
at chairside, and 95% or more of the mercury can be cost-
effectively captured when an amalgam separator is added to
the system. These programs are, in general, effective and
require only a modest shift in practices, and add a very
minor increase in operating expense. According to recent
estimates, an amalgam separator unit capable of removing
both particulates and dissolved mercury can be operated for
between $47.95 - $100.00 per month.
Human Wastes Amalgam has been determined to be the primary
source of mercury in human waste. After releases from dental
offices, human wastes are the next greatest contributor of
dental mercury to waste water treatment plants. In addition,
amalgam fillings are responsible for additional
environmental releases of mercury at the end of life. Each
cremation in the U.S. accounts for, on average, one gram of
mercury, due to vaporization of mercury contained in dental
amalgam fillings, being released into the atmosphere.
Solution It costs less than $50.00 a month, about the cost
of placing a single filling to remove and recycle mercury
from amalgams. However, only a small percentage of dentists
nationwide have taken the steps necessary to reduce use and
release of this dangerous toxin. Clearly, the time has come
for U.S. dental associations--as other health care industry
associations are already doing--to embrace the fundamental
credo of "first do no harm," by taking responsibility to
reduce amalgam use and mercury pollution. Environmentally
responsible dental clinics reduce the use of mercury where
feasible, employ best management practices and operate
amalgam separators to get the highest capture rates of
dental mercury. This approach protects human health and the
environment while requiring only a modest, compact, and
available shift in clinical practices and expenses.
The MAXIMUM Separation System is a dental amalgam separator
that removes dental amalgam, thus removing mercury from
dental wastewater before it is discharged into the public
sewer system and the environment. A cost effective way for
small and large dental offices and institutions to manage
their amalgam waste is pollution reduction at the source
with the use of the MAXIMUM Separation System. It has been
certified to ISO 11143 standard. It can be retrofitted into
existing dental vacuum systems. It is located BEFORE the
vacuum pump, thus removing the amalgam waste before it is
agitated by the vacuum pump impellers. This decreases the
release of mercury and reduces wear on the pump.
toxicteeth.orgpressRoom releases 031903 polOpen ↗
luters.cfm
THE NATION Dentists Biggest Mercury Polluters, New Study
Finds Health: The metal is widely used in fillings and ends
up in the nation's waste water. By ELIZABETH SHOGREN TIMES
STAFF WRITER June 6, 2002
WASHINGTON - Coal-fired power plants are notorious for being
the biggest source of mercury pollution in the air. But now,
new attention is being directed at another, much less known
source of mercury contamination in water--dentists.
A new report shows that dentists are the largest single
source of mercury pollution in waste water funneled into the
nation's treatment plants.
Mercury is a potent toxin that can damage the human brain,
spinal cord, kidney and liver, and is especially dangerous
for unborn children. While many other sources of mercury
pollution have drastically cut their use of the heavy metal,
dentists continue to use it widely in fillings.
"Pretty much all the mercury they're using gets released
into the environment. Why aren't they doing more to reduce
that use?" said Michael Bender, director of the Mercury
Policy Project, a foundation-funded group that was one of
the authors of the study.
Power plants emit mercury into the air and it falls into
streams and rivers. Many dentists flush it down their drains
and it goes directly into waste-water treatment plants,
which do not effectively filter it from the water.
In a statement responding to the report, the American Dental
Assn. said it was aware that some particles from fillings
end up in waste water, and it urges dentists to follow
proper procedures for handling and recycling the composite
used for fillings, which they refer to as "amalgam." But the
association argued that the mercury from their fillings
remains in a form that is not harmful to humans.
"However, a 1996 study found that when amalgam particles
were subjected to simulated waste-water treatment processes,
no soluble mercury was detected, even at a concentration of
1 part per billion," according to the statement.
The group stressed that it was currently implementing a new
plan to address the problem.
The new report's authors said that dentists, through
voluntary or mandatory measures, should trap their waste
mercury before it flows into plumbing fixtures that have
been contaminated with mercury for years.
The report referred to a 2001 study by the Assn. of
Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies that evaluated seven major
municipal waste-water treatment plants and determined that
dental uses were "by far" the greatest contributors to the
mercury reaching their facilities. They were responsible for
40% of the load, three times more than the next largest
contributor.
Several other countries regulate releases of dental mercury.
In Canada, a new standard requires dentists to trap the
pieces of filling before they go down the drain. The goal is
to reduce releases by 95% by 2005.
In May, the New Hampshire Legislature became the first in
the nation to pass legislation governing disposal methods
for dental mercury.
The California Assembly considered a measure to phase out
the use of mercury in fillings but did not adopt it.
The report suggests that mercury in dentistry has become the
exception while other major users of mercury have changed
their practices.
In 1985 dental facilities used 3% of all the mercury used
nationwide. Last year, although dentists used less mercury,
their use accounted for 20% of all uses. Only two other industries--
wiring devices and switches and chloralkali--used more.
Gina Solomon, a physician who focuses on the health effects
of mercury for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said
that there was still controversy about whether the fillings
put dental patients at risk. And she stressed that those who
have such fillings should not get them removed, because
taking them out heightens the chance of exposure.
However, she said the science is clear that the mercury that
goes down the drain can end up in the food chain.
"There is scientific consensus that mercury that ends up in
the waste water and water bodies will accumulate in the fish
and pose a direct human health problem to people who eat the
fish; that is uncontroversial and is something that can be
fixed," Solomon said.
If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives
at www.latimes.com/archive. For information about reprinting
this article, go to www.lats.com/rights.
mercurypolicy.orgADAdoc100803.pdfOpen ↗
Jan
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