Dental amalgam controversy of mercury received by sewage treatment plants. The mercury contaminates the treatment plant sludge, which is typically disposed of by land application, landfilling or incineration. Several states, including New Jersey, New York, and Michigan, have required the installation of dental amalgam separators prior to 2017. EPA promulgated an effluent guidelines regulation in 2017 which prohibits most dental practices from disposing amalgam waste down the drain. Most dental offices nationwide are now required to use amalgam separators. The WHO reported in 2005 that in the United Kingdom mercury from amalgam accounted for 5% of total mercury emissions. In Canada, dental amalgam
Dental amalgam controversy ADA asserts the best scientific evidence supports the safety of dental amalgam. Clinical studies have not established an occasional connection between dental amalgam and adverse health effects in the general population. In 2002, Dr. Maths Berlin of The Dental Material Commission published an overview and assessment of the scientific literature published between November 1997 – 2002 for the Swedish Government on amalgam and its possible environmental and health risks. A final report was submitted to the Swedish Government in 2003 and included his report as an annex to the full report. In the final report from 2003, Berlin states that