Amalgam (chemistry) term pollution. Today, mercury amalgamation has been replaced by other methods to recuperate gold and silver from ore in developed nations. Hazards of mercurial toxic waste have played a major role in the phasing out of the mercury amalgamation processes. However mercury amalgamation is still regularly used by small-scale gold placer miners (often illegally) & particularly in developing countries. Mercury salts are, compared to mercury metal and amalgams, highly toxic due to their solubility in water. The presence of these salts in water can be detected with a probe that uses the readiness of mercury ions to form an amalgam
Amalgam tattoo of discolored mucosa is much larger. If necessary, the diagnosis can be confirmed histologically by excisional biopsy, which excludes nevi and melanomas. If a biopsy is taken, the histopathologic appearance is: Theoretically, routine use of a dental dam during dental procedures which involve amalgam should reduce the risk of amalgam tattoo. No treatment is required since the lesion is entirely benign. Some suggest that amalgam tattoos are best surgically excised so as to ensure the lesion does not represent a melanoma. Other say that excision should only be carried out if there is any doubt over the diagnosis, and that