Management of waste amalgam and wastes containing mercury:

As all of us know that amalgam is used for restorations very widely.An operator of a dental operation that produces waste water containing dental amalgam must:

• install and maintain an amalgam separator according to the manufacturer's or supplier's recommendations.
• ensure that all wastewater containing dental amalgam is treated using the amalgam separator.
• install an accessible monitoring point at the outlet of the amalgam separator at a location upstream of the discharge of any other waste.
• locate the amalgam separator in such a manner that an accidental spill, leak or container failure will not result in waste containing amalgam entering any sewer.
• ensure that dental amalgam collected in an amalgam separator.
• a collecting container or any other device is not discharged into a sewer. Some recommendations for management of waste mercury:
• Mercury storage and work areas should be designed to provide secondary containment in the event of a spill or leak.
• A mercury spill kit should be maintained in the office near the mercury storage and work areas.
• Spilled mercury should be transferred to a labelled, sealed, leak-proof glass container and stored for pick up by a waste disposal vendor.
• Written mercury spill clean-up procedures should be pasted in a visible location and all personnel handling mercury should be trained in spill clean-up procedures.