Amalgam separators are devices designed to remove amalgam waste particles from dental office wastewater. The placement and removal of dental amalgam restorations generates amalgam waste particles that can be suctioned into the dental unit vacuum line and discharged into the public sewer system.
The effort to reduce amalgam waste discharge from the dental office is the result of increasing pressure facing local wastewater treatment plants to reduce the concentration of mercury in effluent from their plants and the concentration of mercury in sludge. The ADA's Best Management Practices for amalgam waste include the use of amalgam separators. Although there is no national regulation requiring the installation of amalgam separators in U.S. dental offices, state and local requirements exist in some areas. Check with your state or local dental society to see if any requirements exist in your area.
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(July 2006)