McManus Kevin R, Fan P L
EnviroBusiness, Cambridge, Mass, USA.
J Am Dent Assoc. 2003 Aug;134(8):1054-65. doi: 10.14219/jada.archive.2003.0319.
Growing environmental concern over the accumulation of mercury in some fish has led some state and local environmental agencies to pursue stricter regulation of mercury in wastewater. Dental offices are an identifiable source of mercury in the form of dental amalgam. Although mercury in dental amalgam is not immediately bioavailable (that is, it has not been shown to contribute significantly to the problem of mercury in fish tissue), environmental agencies in some locales are asking dental offices to install amalgam separators in an effort to reduce amalgam discharges beyond those already achieved through chairside traps and vacuum filters. Field experience indicates that the configuration and operation of the dental office infrastructure can significantly affect the choice of separator, as well as the operation and maintenance of the installed equipment.
The authors review factors related to office infrastructure and operation that dentists should consider when investing in an amalgam separator. They also provide a cost-analysis worksheet and checklist that may be useful to dentists who are considering purchasing a separator.
Before purchasing or installing an amalgam separator, dentists should consider factors specific to the available models, including size and maintenance requirements. In addition, office-specific actors should be considered (such as the plumbing configuration, available space for installation and subsequent access to that space for equipment replacement and maintenance). Dentists also should research whether any local or state regulations exist that might influence product selection or installation. Dentists should consider the effect an amalgam separator could have on existing suction equipment. Finally, dentists will want to consider the short- and long-term costs (including maintenance and parts replacement) of the available options.
对某些鱼类中汞积累的环境关注度不断提高，导致一些州和地方环境机构寻求对废水中的汞进行更严格的监管。牙科诊所是牙科汞合金形式的汞的一个可识别来源。虽然牙科汞合金中的汞并非立即具有生物可利用性（也就是说，尚未证明它对鱼类组织中的汞问题有重大影响），但一些地区的环境机构要求牙科诊所安装汞合金分离器，以努力减少汞合金排放，使其超出通过椅旁捕集器和真空过滤器已经实现的排放量。实地经验表明，牙科诊所基础设施的配置和运行会显著影响分离器的选择以及所安装设备的运行和维护。
作者回顾了与办公室基础设施和运行相关的因素，牙医在投资购买汞合金分离器时应予以考虑。他们还提供了一份成本分析工作表和清单，这可能对考虑购买分离器的牙医有用。
在购买或安装汞合金分离器之前，牙医应考虑特定型号所特有的因素，包括尺寸和维护要求。此外，应考虑特定办公室的因素（如管道配置、安装可用空间以及随后进入该空间进行设备更换和维护的便利性）。牙医还应研究是否存在可能影响产品选择或安装的任何地方或州法规。牙医应考虑汞合金分离器可能对现有抽吸设备产生的影响。最后，牙医将希望考虑现有选项的短期和长期成本（包括维护和零件更换）。
