Promoting Voluntary Efforts to Reduce Dental Mercury Releases to Wastewater Mark McMillan Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment October 29, 2004

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Promoting Voluntary Effortsto Reduce Dental
Mercury Releasesto WastewaterMark
McMillanColorado Department of Public Health and
EnvironmentOctober 29, 2004
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Objectives

• Why this project, this place?
• Project phases
• Applying project results statewide

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Why this project, this place?

• March 2002 - Enforcement action against CFI
  Steel (dba Rocky Mountain Steel Mills)
• 1,800,000 penalty largely applied to
  Pueblo-based Supplemental Environmental Projects
  (SEPs)
• 500,000 Community-Based Projects
• 500,000 Alternative Energy Projects
• 500,000 Mercury Removal Projects
• (300,000 Civil Penalty)

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Why this project, this place?

• Mercury Removal Projects
• 400,000 Mercury Switch Removal Project
  http//www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/mercury/mercuryho
  m.asp
• 100,000 Other Pueblo-Based Mercury Pollution
  Prevention Projects

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Why this project, this place?

• Interest and support from CDPHE Water Quality
  Control Division
• Hg in surface water can bioaccumulate in fish
  tissue, posing risk to wildlife and humans that
  eat contaminated fish
• 41 states, including Colorado, have issued
  fish-advisories due to Hg contamination
• POTWs may face increasing challenges meeting new,
  lowered discharge limits for Hg (due to new EPA
  standard test method)

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Why this project, this place?

• Dentists are a known source of Hg discharges to
  wastewater in Colorado
• An Evaluation of the Source Impacts and Control
  of Mercury. Al Garcia, Littleton-Englewood
  Wastewater Treatment Plant, 2002.
• Dental Hg releases to wastewater can be minimized
  through best management practices
• Pueblo-based pilot project results may be
  transferable throughout the stateProject
  funding 50,000

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Project Phases

• Phase 1 Dental Survey/Data Collection
• Phase 2 Focused Outreach Effort
• Phase 3 Measurement of Project Value
  and Success

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Phase 1 Dental Survey/ Data Collection

• Survey Purpose To assess the use of BMP and BAT
  among Pueblo dentists, and to identify areas for
  outreach and improvement
• Survey results are summarized inDental Mercury
  Pollution PreventionPhase I Summary Report,
  Tetra Tech EMI Inc., February 2004.

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Phase 1 Dental Survey/ Data Collection

• December 2003 Survey mailed to 59 dentists at
  51 practices in Pueblo that either use or remove
  mercury-containing amalgam
• Survey Response Rate
• 41 out of 59 dentists responded (69)
• 40 out of 51 practices responded (78)

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Phase 1 Dental Survey Results
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Phase 1 Dental Survey Results
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Mercury Amalgam Separators (The Hg5? Mercury
Amalgam Separator System by SolmeteX Inc)

• Typically designed for in-line installation
  between the chair-side water drain and vacuum
  pump.
• Removes particles through physical and chemical
  processes, including sedimentation,
  centrifugation, filtration, and ion exchange.
• Must be at least 96 efficient to be ISO
  certified.
• Required by law in Maine. Under consideration in
  seven other states.
• Typical cost 500 - 7,500(Ref. Journal of ADA)
  

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Phase 1 Dental Survey/ Data
Collection

• American Dental Association
• Best Management Practices for Amalgam Waste,
  February 2003
• Amalgam should not be disposed of in the
  garbage, infectious waste red bag, or sharps
  container. because some communities incinerate
  municipal garbage, medical waste, and sludge from
  wastewater treatment plants.
• ADA strongly recommends recycling as a primary
  best management practice

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Phase 1 Dental Survey Results
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Phase 1 Dental Survey Results
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Phase 1 Dental Survey Results
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Phase 1 Dental Survey Results
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Phase 1 Dental Survey Results
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Phase 2 Focused Outreach

• Dental Hg Fact Sheet
• Panel Seminar
• Increased Involvement by the Colorado Dental
  Association (CDA)

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Phase 2 Dental Hg Fact Sheet

• Regulatory Outlook for Pueblo Dentists
• Mercury Amalgam Separators
• Vendors, Operation/Maintenance, Cost
• Mercury Recycling
• Recyclers, Materials, Methods, Cost
• BMP Scorecard

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Phase 2 Panel Seminar

• May 18, 2004 at Pueblo City-County Library
• Agenda
• Welcome and Introduction by CDA
• Regulatory Outlook for Pueblo Dentists
• Mercury Amalgam Separators
• Vendors, types of separators, installation
  considerations, operation/maintenance
• Mercury Recycling
• Vendors, types of recyclables, how to implement a
  recycling program
• Breakout Session

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Phase 3 Measurement of Project Value and Success

• Follow-up Survey to Pueblo Dentists May 2004
• Final Summary Report - August 2004
• Summary of Project Results BMPs/BATs
  implemented, Hg releases prevented, life cycle of
  Hg captured
• Lessons Learned Barriers to amalgam separator
  implementation
• Recommendations for project improvement
• Recommendations for statewide implementation
• Project Follow-up 2005

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Overall Conclusions From Dental P2 Effort

• Surveys Useful for Gauging Interest, Gathering
  Information
• Dentists Thought Fact Sheet, BMP Insert, Meetings
  Worthwhile
• Voluntary Programs May Limit Need for Regulations
• Voluntary Programs Allow Participants to
  Customize Their Role
• Efforts Transferable

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Applying Project Results Statewide

• Pueblo pilot project is a first-step in providing
  compliance assistance to Colorado POTWs charged
  with meeting new, lowered discharge permit limits
  for Hg.
• Outreach materials, including dental fact-sheet,
  vendor information, and panel seminar materials,
  will be made transferable through out the state.
• Outreach materials and ongoing summary reports
  available at http//www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/
  mercury/dental.asp

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Comments/Questions/Ideas?

• Contact
• Mark McMillanCDPHE Mercury Programmark.mcmillan_at_
  state.co.us, 303-692-3140
• Rick KoplitzWater Quality Control Division,
  CDPHE rick.koplitz_at_state.co.us ,303-692-3618
• Paul Cozetta Water Quality Control, City of
  Pueblo pcozzetta_at_pueblo.us, 729-544-3453