Mercury Control#
To comply with environmental standards developed by EPA and the State of Colorado, Utilities developed a program to reduce the amount of mercury entering the wastewater treatment facilities. The Mercury Control Program was approved by City Council (see Article IV of the Fort Collins Municipal Code) and went into effect in July 2005. Since the program began, the amount of mercury entering the wastewater treatment plant has decreased over 50%.
Mercury Removal – Dental Practices
Dental practices that place or remove mercury amalgam are required to adhere to the following Best Management Practices (BMPs):
- Install ISO 11143 certified amalgam separator to remove at least 95% of amalgam particles. It must be installed, operated, and maintained according to the manufacturer's specifications.
- Equip all dental chairs with chair-side traps that are cleaned and maintained to assure effective operation.
- Equip vacuum pumps with traps or filters, and clean and maintain as recommended by the manufacturer.
- Clean amalgam contaminated traps, filters and other equipment in a manner to minimize the discharge of wastewater containing amalgam.
- Do not use cleaners or disinfectants that contain chlorine bleach or other oxidizing or corrosive agents that mobilize mercury from amalgam in any lines connected to the amalgam separator.
- Store amalgam wastes in structurally sound, tightly closed, labeled containers.
- Transfer amalgam wastes to offsite recycling facility or hazardous waste disposal facility.
- Keep documentation that provides the manufacturer, model, date of installation and any maintenance on the amalgam separator for a period of five years.
- Keep waste amalgam disposal records for five years and include date, amount of waste amalgam shipped, and name and address of facility receiving the waste amalgam.
Fort Collins Utilities staff performs compliance inspections at participating dental practices and reviews and documents maintenance records and adherence to BMPs.
Federal rule puts more stringent requirements on replacement deadlines of amalgam separators (at least once per year or each time separator is full) as well as acceptable cleaners which must be within pH of 6-8.
RESOURCES
- American Dental Association's list of BMPs
- Dentist Guidance Document
- 2017 Federal Rule 40 CFR 441: Federal Dental Effluent Guidelines
- Initial Compliance Report Form
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