Amalgam Separator Rule – July 14 Compliance Date

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Dental Category (the “Rule”) went into effect on July 14, 2017, with a required compliance date of July 14, 2020.

The Rule requires that most dental practices operate and maintain at least one amalgam separator that is International Standards Organization standard 11143 (ISO 11143) compliant, and follow two American Dental Association (ADA) Best Management Practices (BMPs) – a prohibition on the discharge of waste (or ‘‘scrap’’) amalgam to publicly owned treatment works (POTW) and a prohibition on the use of line cleaners that are oxidizing or acidic and that have a pH higher than 8 or lower than 6.

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