What is the MOST effective measure for reducing the release of amalgam waste into the environment?

Correct answer: C. Installation of an amalgam separator on the office wastewater line

• A. High-volume evacuation captures particles at the chairside but simply routes them into the wastewater line. Without a separator downstream, the mercury still reaches the sewer.
• B. Flushing amalgam into the drain is precisely the practice the regulation was created to eliminate. Mercury entering wastewater is methylated by bacteria into methylmercury, which bioaccumulates in the food chain.
• C. CORRECT. An AMALGAM SEPARATOR captures amalgam particles from wastewater before they enter the sewer system, achieving roughly 95% or greater removal efficiency. Under the US EPA Dental Office Category rule, separators are MANDATORY for dental practices that place or remove amalgam. Captured material is then recycled by a licensed handler, which is what keeps the mercury out of the environment entirely.
• D. Amalgam scrap must never enter regular waste or biohazard waste destined for incineration — burning it volatilizes mercury directly into the air.

Note: Best management practices: amalgam separator, chairside traps and vacuum filters, recycle all scrap (contact and non-contact) through a licensed recycler, store scrap in a closed container, and never use bleach-containing line cleaners, which dissolve mercury into solution.