STATE OF FLORIDABest ManagementPracticesforScrapDental AmalgamGuidelinesfor Dental OfficesIn June 2001, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Health (DOH),in cooperation with the Florida Dental Association(FDA), together completed the development of guidelines for the recycling of scrap amalgam in dental offices. These voluntary guidelines were developed tohelp dental offices handle and recycle the mercury inamalgams used for dental restorations in compliancewith applicable environmental, biomedical, occupational health and transportation regulations.**The DEP has determined that, as of August 2001, compliance** **with these voluntary management practices will also constitute compliance with DEP, DOH, FL DOT and** **US OSHA regulations that apply to scrap dental amal gam. If you choose not to manage scrap dental amal** **gam in accordance with these voluntary management practices, it is your responsibility to assure that your** **facility operates in compliance with all regulations.**For detailed hazardous and biomedical waste disposalrequirements, refer to appropriate DEP, DOH and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)publications. Refer to Department of Transportation(USDOT) regulations for detailed shipping requirements.amalgam(ah-mal ́gam) an alloy of two or moremetals, one of which is mercury.dental, an amalgam of silver, tin, and mercury (Ag3Sn + Hg) withlow concentrations of copper and sometimes zinc;used for filling cavities in teeth.mercury(mer ́ku-re) a metallic element, liquid atordinary temperatures; quicksilver. Its symbol is Hg;atomic number, 80; atomic weight, 200.59; specificgravity, 13.546. It is insoluble in ordinary solvents.** Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary PRESORT STANDARD U.S. Postage PAID Tallahassee, FL Permit # 260According to DEP studies, sources of mercury in dental offices include scrap amalgam, fluorescent lamps,and mercury thermostats. Monitoring/analytical lamps,water-bath thermometers and sphygmomanometersalso may contain mercury. Because most dental officesdon’t produce more than 220 pounds of scrap amalgam, x-ray fixer solution and lead foil from x-ray film(combined) per month, they are regulated as conditionally exempt small quantity generators (CESQG) by DEP.It is important to develop scrap amalgam guidelines toensure that mercury is not released into the environment. So, its reclamation is extremely important forenvironmental and health-safety reasons. By keepingscrap amalgam separate from other waste, it can bereclaimed and recycled. Recycling is done by qualifiedreclamation companies through a distillation process.The mercury is then reused in new products, including dental amalgam.For detailed supporting regulatory documentation andmore information about the best management practicesfor scrap dental amalgam, call DEP at (850) 488-0300 orvisit the DEP Web site (www.dep.state.fl.us).Best Management Practices for Scrap Dental AmalgamOctober 2001

Florida Department of Environmental Protection 2600 Blair Stone Road MS 4555 Twin Towers Building Tallahassee, FL 32399-2400The Dos and Don’tsof Scrap Amalgam Management◗Do keep amalgam usage for each restoration to thesmallest amount necessary for the procedure.◗Do use precapsulated dental amalgam only.◗Do use disposable amalgam traps if practical.◗Do sterilize reusable amalgam traps if disposableare not appropriate for your practice facility.◗Do install at least two filters on the vacuum pumps.◗Do change the vacuum pump filters at least**once**a month.◗Do keep written records of your generation anddisposal of scrap amalgam.◗Do recycle all elemental mercury and amalgam.◗Do store amalgam in a container with an air tightfitting lid.◗Do label scrap amalgam containers with yourname, address and phone number and the date.◗Do disassemble and clean the amalgamator on aregular basis.◗Do properly seal all amalgam capsules before amalgamation.◗Do reassemble capsules immediately after dispensing the amalgam.◗Do determine if your dental office is a conditionally exempt small-quantity generator.◗Do select a recycler that meets all federal and stateregulations for the reclamation of amalgam waste.◗Do place mercury spill kits in convenient locationsfor easy access in your dental office.◗Do hold training sessions and develop written procedures to ensure that all dental-office personnelknow the proper techniques for handling and using mercury; how to immediately cleanup a mercury spill; and how to manage scrap amalgam.◗Don’t rinse amalgam traps over drains or sinks.◗Don’t discard amalgam, extracted teeth containing amalgam or amalgam traps into the garbage,red bags or sharps containers.◗Don’t handle mercury or mix amalgam in a carpeted area.◗Don’t use a regular vacuum cleaner to clean up amercury spill.Scrap Dental AmalgamManagement ProceduresBest Management Practices for Scrap Dental AmalgamContact informationFlorida Department of Environmental Protection(850) 488-0300www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercuryFlorida Department of Health(850) 245-4277◗www.doh.state.fl.usFlorida Dental Association(800) 877-9922 / (850) 681-3629www.floridadental.orgOccupational Safety and Health AdministrationRegion 4 Office – Atlanta(404) 562-2300◗www.osha.govU. S. Department of Transportation(800) 467-4922◗www.hazmat.dot.govSources of Scrap Dental Amalgamfrom OperationsThere are three sources of scrap amalgam from dental operations:◗**Excess**amalgam which is mixed, but not used;**dam aged** capsules.◗Amalgam**from the operatory**. This can be unusedmixed amalgam or amalgam retrieved from operatory**drain traps**. Amalgam from operatory drain traps canbe handled as scrap amalgam as long as the traps contain little or no tissue.◗Amalgam contained in**extracted teeth**. Extracted teeththat have no amalgam would be regulated as medicalwaste and cannot be placed in the same container asextracted teeth with amalgam.Handling of Scrap Amalgam1.**Marked Container**:Place scrap amalgam from all threesources into a “sharps type” container (as defined byOSHA) that is initially marked “Biohazardous.” To differentiate from biomedical waste which is placed in ared bag or container, the scrap amalgam containershould be a different color (silver). A “sharps type” container may be supplied by the recycler or reclamationfacility.2.**Decontaminate**:When the container is full or ready forshipment, add enough 1:10 bleach:water solution tocover the scrap amalgam in the container. This ensuresthat the scrap amalgam has been decontaminated perOSHA. To ensure that the decontamination solutionstrength does not dissipate over time, do not add thesolution until the container is full or ready for shipment.3.**Label**:Cover the “Biohazardous” marking on the container with a label reading “Scrap amalgam decontaminated with 1:10 bleach: water solution on(month/day/year).” This ensures that the full residence time of thescrap amalgam (including extracted teeth with amalgam) is documented on the container label.Shipping Scrap AmalgamFollow these requirements when shipping scrap amalgamto a mercury reclamation facility:1. Dental offices that ship**less than two pounds**of scrapamalgam (one pound of mercury) per container are notrequired to meet any DOT regulations.2.**Written records**, including the name and address of thedental office shipping the scrap amalgam, the amountshipped, the date of the shipment and the name andaddress of the reclamation facility receiving the shipment, must be retained for three years.3. If the shipping container contains**two pounds or more**of scrap amalgam (one pound of mercury), it is regulated as a DOT Class 9 hazardous substance. In this case,a mercury reclamation facility should provide theneeded documentation to meet all necessary DOT shipping requirements.Reclamation FacilitiesThe Florida Department of Environmental Protection maintains a list of in-state and out-of-state mercury reclamationfacilities that currently receive scrap amalgam and that havebeen investigated by the DEP to verify proper managementof scrap amalgam, including proper management of themercury. Call the DEP at (850) 488-0300 or visit the DEPWeb site for the list.