Dental Office Resources

Dental office vacuum lines, sinks, and toilets all lead to local sewer lines. Anything you pour down the drain goes to a wastewater treatment plant before being discharged to San Francisco Bay. Because these treatment facilities are not designed to remove metals like mercury and silver, wastewater treatment agencies seek your support to comply with regulatory permits and protect the Bay.

Because of mercury pollution issues in the San Francisco Bay, all Bay Area agencies, at a minimum, encourage amalgam Best Management Practices (BMPs) and installation of amalgam separators. Many agencies are moving toward mandatory use of amalgam BMPs and installation of amalgam separators. To find out if this is the case in your area, contact your sewer agency.

• Map of Bay Area sewer agencies
• List of Bay Area sewer agency contact

• Dental staff training brochure (Printer-friendly version)
• Sample training log to keep track of waste management training for each individual

• Waste haulers
• Approved amalgam separators
• Request form for consideration to be added to approved separator list
• Considerations when purchasing amalgam separators
• Vendors for amalgam separators (coming soon)
• Non-bleach vacuum line cleansers

• Dentistry and Wastewater FAQs, California Dental Association
• Best Management Practices for Amalgam Waste, American Dental Association, October 2007
• Memorandum of Understanding between U.S. EPA, American Dental Association, and National Association of Clean Water Agencies, December 2008