>Subject: Re: CZ, Do you like apples ?
>From: "Anth"
[email protected]
>Date: 4/7/2004 2:05 PM Pacific Standard Time
>Message-id: <
[email protected]>
>
>Apples - organic (which are getting harder and harder to
>find these days) Anth
>
>"W_B" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
>
news:[email protected]...
>>
>> The facts about the Hg load are in the news today.
>>
>> The major worldwide Hg load contributors are:
>>
>> Forest fires and Volcanoes 55% China industries 22%
>>
>> American coal burning electrical plants contribute <1% to
>> the *global* Hg environmental load.
>>
>> How do you like them apples ?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> W_B
The denstists remain in denial and it is everyone
elses' baby.
http://tuberose.com/Mercury_Disposal.html
Dental Mercury Disposal Metal Detoxification The Scientific
Case Against Amalgam Homocysteine Redox Find A Mercury-Free
Dentist Truth Decay Book ...if they have as few as 4 amalgam
fillings present in their mouth, the average person's saliva
is so high in mercury they cannot legally spit into the
toilet. Their saliva exceeds the EPA maximum legal municipal
discharge standard for mercury..--David Kennedy D.D.S.
Mercury is a persistent, bioaccumulative toxin that poses a
risk to human health, wildlife and the environment. While
there has been considerable public debate about the
potential health effects of mercury fillings, little
attention has been focused thus far on the disposal of waste
dental mercury. While mercury is a naturally occurring
metallic element, human activities--including the use of
dental fillings--contribute 70% of emissions into the
environment. Levels of mercury in the environment have
increased dramatically, with a twenty-fold increase over the
past 270 years. Today, dentists are the third largest user
of mercury in the U.S., consuming over 40 metric tons of
mercury annually with most eventually released into the
environment. In 1993, it was estimated that 150 million
amalgam restorations were placed in the USA, weighing over
75 tons, by 175,000 U.S. dentists, and that there are 22
billion existing amalgam restorations that will eventually
have to be removed, according to the A.D.A. The average
dentist's office produces up to a kilogram of mercury waste
every year, according to estimates. Environment Canada says
it all adds up to about two tons of toxic material--the same
amount that coal-fired power plants spew into the air.
The name "mercury-free dentist" is misleading. The so-called
mercury free dentist releases enough mercury in one day to
contaminate a 22,000-acre lake to above acceptable discharge
levels. The largest single source of dental mercury released
into the environment comes from the removal of existing
amalgams from patients during dental procedures (replacement
fillings, crowns, extractions, etc). Extracted amalgam
materials are either rinsed down the drain--usually to a
municipal wastewater system (or septic system) where it can
build up in sewage sludge--deposited in biomedical waste
containers destined for waste incineration or autoclaves, or
placed in the trash that is later disposed in municipal
waste landfills or incinerators. It is estimated when an
amalgam is prepared for a filling, 10% is leftover and is
often simply discarded. The "over-pack" portion is either
drawn into the dental clinic's waste vacuum system or is
expelled by the patient into a chair side cuspidor. But the
majority of dental mercury waste is discarded into
wastewater systems.
Dental clinics remain largely unregulated for mercury
disposal and extracted amalgam materials are often rinsed
down the drain, usually to a municipal wastewater system or
septic systems, deposited in biomedical waste containers
destined for waste incineration, or placed in trash disposed
in a municipal waste landfill or incinerator. The American
Dental Association (ADA), as well as many state dental
associations, have refrained from promoting, and have even
opposed mercury reduction efforts. Following the lead of the
ADA, the U.S. dental establishment has consistently resisted
efforts to reduce releases of mercury and follow suit with
the rest of the health care establishment. The ADA refuses
to encourage its members to assume responsibility for
curtailing dental mercury pollution, opting instead to
obstruct initiative at the state and local levels. Many
countries, especially in Western Europe and Canada--and a
small, but growing number of local and state governments in
the U.S.--now recognize dental mercury waste as a serious
environmental pollutant and are enacting both voluntary
guidelines and stringent policies to curtail its release.
Studies by EPA and numerous municipalities document that
most municipal wastewater treatment plants have high
levels of mercury with significant contributions from
dental clinics. Recently, the Association of Metropolitan
Sewerage Agencies (AMSA) evaluated seven major municipal
wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to determine and
quantify sources of mercury coming into these facilities.
AT all plants, dental uses were identified as "by far" the
greatest contributors to the mercury-load, accounting on
average for 40% of the load, more than three times the
next largest source.
There is little debate that municipal wastewater treatment
systems are not designed to treat hazardous waste or reduce
mercury loadings to the environment. Consequently, all
mercury in the influent wastewater remains unattenuated in
municipal treatment plants, and either settles out in the
grit chamber or residuals (sludge, or biosolids), or passes
through the system to be discharged into a downstream lake,
river or ocean along with the "treated" effluent. Moreover,
conditions at certain points within the wastewater treatment
process are perhaps favorable for promoting methylation of
mercury within the wastewater or sludge. This has the effect
of converting a portion of the influent mercury into its
more toxic, organic form (methyl mercury), which is also
highly soluble and able to pass through the facility to the
receiving water body.
Mercury amalgam particles that drop out of wastewater in
the grit chamber (the initial coarse settling chamber at
the front end of a treatment plant), are most commonly
landfilled along with all other filtered materials. The
residual sludge, which is the primary byproduct of the
treatment process, is frequently incinerated. Incineration
releases the mercury directly into the atmosphere as
mercury vapor.
Studies indicate that as much as 95% of the mercury load to
the treatment plants is released to the atmosphere during
sludge incineration, with the balance discharged to a body
of water or landfilled. When not landfilled or incinerated,
biosolids are used in fertilizers or other soil additives.
Agricultural sludge application can lead to mercury
contaminated soil and groundwater, as well as direct
volatilization to the atmosphere. Regulations for land
application of sludge in the U.S. are far less restrictive
for mercury and other heavy metals than many other
countries. This practice has not been thoroughly studied and
is further hindered by the fact that both state and federal
agencies responsible for regulating sludge-spreading are
also often responsible for promoting it.
Mercury In Traps, Drains, and Sewer Pipes Following years of
use, the plumbing in dental offices can become significantly
laden with dental amalgam. Studies show that high levels of
mercury are accumulating in sewer pipes from dental offices,
presenting potential liability concerns to land owners.
Amalgam particles trapped in dental office plumbing and
drainage pipes have been found to provide a continuing
source of dissolved mercury to wastewater over time. The
slow dissolution of mercury amalgam in dental office
plumbing, as well as in the municipal sewer system, serves
as a long-term source of mercury to the receiving facility
and is eventually released to the environment.
Mercury In Septic Systems Where no publicly operated
treatment works exist, dental clinics frequently rely on
septic systems for wastewater disposal. Similar to municipal
treatment plants, the potential for methylation exists in
the anaerobic environment of a septic tank, which can lead
to the production and discharge of methyl mercury at private
disposal fields. At these locations, the mercury path to the
environment is more direct and the soils and groundwater
surrounding the drain fields of these systems can become
contaminated with mercury. Significant levels of mercury
contamination have been detected both within septic tanks as
well as adjacent to, and downgradient from, disposal fields
receiving wastewater from dental clinics. The drain fields
of septic systems receiving dental wastewater have the
potential to serve as point sources of mercury contamination
to the underlying and adjacent soils and groundwater, and
may potentially convey environmental liability on to the
property owner, and/or wastewater generator.
Solid Waste Mercury-bearing scrap amalgam is often discarded
into the trash and leaves the dental office by solid waste
hauler and is either landfilled or incinerated. The mercury
in amalgam disposed in a landfill may break down over time
and co-mingle with landfill leachate. Depending on the
landfill, mercury may enter groundwater, contaminate
underlying soils, volatilize into the vapor phase and
dissipate to the atmosphere or, when landfill leachate is
sent to a wastewater treatment plant, is taken up in sewage
sludge that is either re-landfilled or distributed. Also,
formulation and release of methane gas from landfilled
mercury may contribute to production of mercury emissions
within the landfill.
Biomedical Waste Incineration/Sterilization Waste dental
mercury is often disposed into the biomedical waste
container. A recent survey found that 25 to 30 percent of
dentists place their contact amalgam wastes into biomedical
"red bags" that are often incinerated. Medical waste is a
special type of regulated waste due to the potential
presence of bacteria and pathogens, which is separated and
handled differently from other solid wastes. If any amalgam
has come in contact with the mouth or has been removed from
or with teeth, it is considered contact amalgam and is often
discarded into biomedial waste. So-called "red-bag" waste is
often sent to a medical waste incinerator, where the mercury
is vaporized into the atmosphere. Some handlers of
biomedical waste sterilize it with high temperature and
pressure steam in a process known as "autoclaving."
Oftentimes, these facilities operate with no emission
controls or standards, which result in mercury vapor
releases, and discharge of effluent to the local wastewater
system following sterilization. The residuals from this
process are landfilled.
Recycling A small but increasing number of dental clinics
are beginning to have their mercury recycled. Where
collection systems are in place, approximately 60% of all
mercury-bearing amalgam waste is captured in coarse filters
at chairside, and 95% or more of the mercury can be cost-
effectively captured when an amalgam separator is added to
the system. These programs are, in general, effective and
require only a modest shift in practices, and add a very
minor increase in operating expense. According to recent
estimates, an amalgam separator unit capable of removing
both particulates and dissolved mercury can be operated for
between $47.95 - $100.00 per month.
Human Wastes Amalgam has been determined to be the primary
source of mercury in human waste. After releases from dental
offices, human wastes are the next greatest contributor of
dental mercury to waste water treatment plants. In addition,
amalgam fillings are responsible for additional
environmental releases of mercury at the end of life. Each
cremation in the U.S. accounts for, on average, one gram of
mercury, due to vaporization of mercury contained in dental
amalgam fillings, being released into the atmosphere.
Solution It costs less than $50.00 a month, about the cost
of placing a single filling to remove and recycle mercury
from amalgams. However, only a small percentage of dentists
nationwide have taken the steps necessary to reduce use and
release of this dangerous toxin. Clearly, the time has come
for U.S. dental associations--as other health care industry
associations are already doing--to embrace the fundamental
credo of "first do no harm," by taking responsibility to
reduce amalgam use and mercury pollution. Environmentally
responsible dental clinics reduce the use of mercury where
feasible, employ best management practices and operate
amalgam separators to get the highest capture rates of
dental mercury. This approach protects human health and the
environment while requiring only a modest, compact, and
available shift in clinical practices and expenses.
The MAXIMUM Separation System is a dental amalgam separator
that removes dental amalgam, thus removing mercury from
dental wastewater before it is discharged into the public
sewer system and the environment. A cost effective way for
small and large dental offices and institutions to manage
their amalgam waste is pollution reduction at the source
with the use of the MAXIMUM Separation System. It has been
certified to ISO 11143 standard. It can be retrofitted into
existing dental vacuum systems. It is located BEFORE the
vacuum pump, thus removing the amalgam waste before it is
agitated by the vacuum pump impellers. This decreases the
release of mercury and reduces wear on the pump.
http://www.toxicteeth.org/pressRoom_releases_031903_pol-
luters.cfm
THE NATION Dentists Biggest Mercury Polluters, New Study
Finds Health: The metal is widely used in fillings and ends
up in the nation's waste water. By ELIZABETH SHOGREN TIMES
STAFF WRITER June 6, 2002
WASHINGTON - Coal-fired power plants are notorious for being
the biggest source of mercury pollution in the air. But now,
new attention is being directed at another, much less known
source of mercury contamination in water--dentists.
A new report shows that dentists are the largest single
source of mercury pollution in waste water funneled into the
nation's treatment plants.
Mercury is a potent toxin that can damage the human brain,
spinal cord, kidney and liver, and is especially dangerous
for unborn children. While many other sources of mercury
pollution have drastically cut their use of the heavy metal,
dentists continue to use it widely in fillings.
"Pretty much all the mercury they're using gets released
into the environment. Why aren't they doing more to reduce
that use?" said Michael Bender, director of the Mercury
Policy Project, a foundation-funded group that was one of
the authors of the study.
Power plants emit mercury into the air and it falls into
streams and rivers. Many dentists flush it down their drains
and it goes directly into waste-water treatment plants,
which do not effectively filter it from the water.
In a statement responding to the report, the American Dental
Assn. said it was aware that some particles from fillings
end up in waste water, and it urges dentists to follow
proper procedures for handling and recycling the composite
used for fillings, which they refer to as "amalgam." But the
association argued that the mercury from their fillings
remains in a form that is not harmful to humans.
"However, a 1996 study found that when amalgam particles
were subjected to simulated waste-water treatment processes,
no soluble mercury was detected, even at a concentration of
1 part per billion," according to the statement.
The group stressed that it was currently implementing a new
plan to address the problem.
The new report's authors said that dentists, through
voluntary or mandatory measures, should trap their waste
mercury before it flows into plumbing fixtures that have
been contaminated with mercury for years.
The report referred to a 2001 study by the Assn. of
Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies that evaluated seven major
municipal waste-water treatment plants and determined that
dental uses were "by far" the greatest contributors to the
mercury reaching their facilities. They were responsible for
40% of the load, three times more than the next largest
contributor.
Several other countries regulate releases of dental mercury.
In Canada, a new standard requires dentists to trap the
pieces of filling before they go down the drain. The goal is
to reduce releases by 95% by 2005.
In May, the New Hampshire Legislature became the first in
the nation to pass legislation governing disposal methods
for dental mercury.
The California Assembly considered a measure to phase out
the use of mercury in fillings but did not adopt it.
The report suggests that mercury in dentistry has become the
exception while other major users of mercury have changed
their practices.
In 1985 dental facilities used 3% of all the mercury used
nationwide. Last year, although dentists used less mercury,
their use accounted for 20% of all uses. Only two other industries--
wiring devices and switches and chloralkali--used more.
Gina Solomon, a physician who focuses on the health effects
of mercury for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said
that there was still controversy about whether the fillings
put dental patients at risk. And she stressed that those who
have such fillings should not get them removed, because
taking them out heightens the chance of exposure.
However, she said the science is clear that the mercury that
goes down the drain can end up in the food chain.
"There is scientific consensus that mercury that ends up in
the waste water and water bodies will accumulate in the fish
and pose a direct human health problem to people who eat the
fish; that is uncontroversial and is something that can be
fixed," Solomon said.
If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives
at www.latimes.com/archive. For information about reprinting
this article, go to www.lats.com/rights.
http://www.mercurypolicy.org/new/documents/ADAdoc100803.pdf
Jan