June 10, 2002

Mercury report targets dentists

Oregon dentists called on to keep toxin from going down drain

According to a national study prepared by Mercury Policy Project and Health Care Without Harm, dental offices are releasing large amounts of mercury into the environment by failing to properly capture and dispose of waste from amalgam fillings which are primarily made up of mercury.

The report, “Dentist the Menace: The Uncontrollable Release of Dental Mercury” cites dental offices as the chief source of mercury entering municipal sewage treatment systems in the U.S

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can affect the brain, spinal cord,
kidneys and liver. One in 10 reproductive-age American women already carry
so much 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.

The report calls upon dentists to install simple and relatively inexpensive traps that keep hazardous dental wastes out of the waste stream and recycled in a closed loop system. Yet only a small percentage of dentists nationwide are taking steps to collect and recycle mercury waste.

 
In response to the amount of dental waste being improperly disposed of by Portland dentists, the Oregon Dental Association (ODA) in cooperation with the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) launched a voluntary Best Management Practices program in 1998. This Best Management Practices program encourages dentists to recycle filling amalgam, lead foil and x-ray fixer. In this program, ODA committed to have 95% of its members certified by the City to be in compliance within 5 years. The program is approaching its 5th year, and according to Kelly Hendryx of BES , “between 70 and 80 percent of ODA dentists within the Portland Sanitary Service District have been certified, as well as several dentists that are not affiliated with ODA”. The next phase of the program will be a formal evaluation of its effectiveness, and re-certification of participating dentists to ensure the proper disposal of the waste through hazardous-waste recyclers.

ODA hopes to replicate the success of the City of Portland’s program with other municipalities throughout the state. Medford, Eugene, Wilsonville and Newburg have all approached ODA to instate similar programs. According to Beryl Fletcher, Director of Professional Affairs of ODA, while no official timeline has been set and no statewide data is publicly available regarding the handling of dental waste by ODA members “the program is one of ODA’s top priorities” and they hope to create alliances with municipalities throughout the state and “educate all ODA members on Best Management Practices within the next year”.

In Oregon, the health division has issued fish advisories for mercury contamination. Worldwide, tuna are so contaminated with mercury that they are listed as unsafe for pregnant and nursing women to consume. “Most Oregon hospitals and clinics are actively phasing out mercury use in their facilities, said Neha Patel of the Oregon Center for Environmental Health. “Dentists are the third largest user of the metal and must shoulder the responsibility to ensure that the toxin is no longer dumped into our communities. A voluntary effort is probably not aggressive enough for a problem with such public health impacts”

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