Why is dental mercury recovery recommended or required? According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dentists generate between 30 and 40 tons of mercury waste every year in placing and removing amalgams. The ADA estimated that dentists place nearly 70 million amalgam fillings annually and remove about 50 million old fillings. Even if only 30% of this volume is discharged down the vacuum system to the sewer this will contribute over 10 tons of mercury to wastewater treatment plants nationwide on an annual basis. To place this in perspective, the largest industrial discharger of mercury in the United States in 2004 was a chemical plant near Natrium,West Virginia. This chemical plant discharged 32 pounds of mercury in 2004 to surface waters and was successfully sued to drastically reduce this discharge.
I hear that the amalgam separator I need to install must be certified as meeting the ISO 11143 standard. What is the ISO 11143 standard?The ISO 11143 standard is a laboratory testing evaluation used to evaluate this technology to a baseline standard. The test consists of passing a known sample of amalgam particles through the amalgam separator and collecting what comes out. Separators pass the test if less than 5% of the test sample is collected in the effluent in a series of tests at maximum rated flow rates (and minimum flow rates on certain models).
Why is it important to consider the annual cost of maintenance rather than just the initial purchase cost?Some amalgam separators may be low initial cost but may have a higher cost of ownership on a yearly basis due to frequent maintenance problems, premature filling of collecting containers, insufficient capacity, and more frequent required collector replacements and also due to replacement parts costs. Some equipment may require clinic staff to provide daily or weekly maintenance that will cost the clinic added labor costs and possibly employee dissatisfaction and turnover. No one likes to handle what goes down the vacuum system especially if it requires frequent trips to the mechanical room or crawlspace.
What maintenance is required to operate the Rebec amalgam separators?There are no added maintenance requirements of the Rebec system beyond what is necessary to properly maintain your vacuum system. All vacuum systems should be routinely flushed with vacuum line cleanser to inhibit bacterial buildup and fouling of the vacuum lines with solids. In all cases never use bleach in your vacuum systems since this has been proven to dissolve amalgam and will damage your equipment.
Why are there different sizes of Rebec systems and how would I choose the right model?The Rebec line of amalgam separators are sized to ensure proper flow rate is maintained during high flow periods. The highest flow rate through your vacuum line will occur during routine vacuum line cleansing. The upper surge tanks of the Rebec amalgam separators can handle these high flush volumes while still ensuring that the equipment never exceeds the ISO rated maximum flow rates. Rebec model 400 and 1000 series equipment are rated for flow rates up to 1 Liter per minute. With the surge tanks this equipment can handle brief periods of higher flows without treatment bypass. If liquids are added to the system at rates exceeding this level the surge tank will hold the excess and gradually discharge it at or below 1 Liter per minute through the collecting container. The Rebec collecting container is one of the few models that has chosen to restrict flow below the ISO rated maximum level with the use of a flow restrictor. Other manufacturers leave the responsibility up to the clinic. Regulations often require that flow rates be maintained below these maximum flow rates and exceeding them can result in violations.
The surge tanks of the model 400 is approximately 8 Liters while the surge tank of the model 1000 is approximately 19 Liters. For this reason clinics with more operatories will generate higher flows and require a larger surge tank capacity. Model 400 series is usually rate to up to 6 operatories while the model 1000 can handle up to 15 operatories.
Why would I choose the PLUS system model over the standard system?The Plus system is a larger solids capacity system with an additional removable settling tank called a buffer. The buffer is placed in series with the removable collecting container to remove most of the heavier solids before they enter the collector. This buffer can remove better than 4 liters of solids allowing the collector to last an entire year. Offices that should consider purchasing a PLUS system will generate heavy solids load from use of air-abrasion or other hygiene practices that use high prophy volume. Offices with extended hours and heavy customer traffic may be candidates for the PLUS system as well.
If I don’t place amalgam fillings will my collecting container take longer to fill?Maybe. The system will remove all solids and not just amalgam and therefore will fill based on factors other than the placement of amalgam. Offices that do not place amalgams usually remove a considerable volume of amalgams over the year and can easily load the collector based on this practice as well as hygiene contribution.
How do I keep track of when maintenance is due on my equipment?The equipment requires annual replacement of the removable collecting container before it fills with solids. Rebec keeps track of this required maintenance and will notify your dental dealer at 11 months. Your dental dealer will make arrangements with your office to order the replacement collector and schedule service. The tracking of your maintenance is automatic and relieves your staff of responsibilities not related to dentistry and customer service.
If I install an amalgam separator upstream of a wet ring vacuum pump do I need to change the pump filters weekly or can they go longer?Wet ring pumps are equipped with a straining filter designed to remove solids particles that might damage the pump during operation. Because the amalgam separator removes better than 99% of these particles that would ordinarily foul these filters the pump filter can usually last much longer and be changed less frequently. The less frequent pump filter maintenance will save your office in both employee labor and consumable supply costs usually saving the typical office hundred of dollars per year.
Should I be concerned about dissolved or soluble mercury? Isn’t amalgam insoluble?Studies have shown that a very insignificant amount of the amalgam particles are considered small enough to be identified as dissolved. The EPA defines particles less than 0.45 microns as being dissolved. Unless oxidizing chemicals such as bleach are used very little of the amalgam is actually soluble as ionic mercury. Few if any amalgam separators can remove soluble or dissolved mercury because of the presence of interfering organic molecules that block ionic removal by ion exchange resins. Binding sites on these ionic resins are quickly fouled by proteins and other organic molecules unless continuous chemical cleansing regiments are strictly followed.
Some regulations require amalgam separators to be sized for the office flow rate, what is meant by this?Liquid flow rate in the dental vacuum line is due to saliva, patient rinse waters, periodic system cleansing solution use, and pump type (dry vacuum or liquid ring pump). The majority of flow originating at the operatory will be due to use of line cleansing solution which usually occurs over a brief period of time resulting in episodic peak flow rates.
All amalgam separators are tested to the ISO standard at manufacturers identified maximum flow rate. These flow rates should not be exceeded except under infrequent periods. Studies have shown that a typical office will generate about 2 liters per chair per day of liquid flow. Flow rate through the amalgam separator will also depend on if the separator is installed upstream or downstream of a liquid ring pump. Any amalgam separator installed after a liquid ring pump must be able to handle the water used in clinic as well as the water used to continuously operate the pump which will be considerably greater than generated by patient care.
The competitor has a see through collecting container with a fill line so that you can see when it is full. Why don’t Rebec models have a way to see when the collecting container is full?If there was a way to keep the equipment clean so that a visible fill line would be useful Rebec would make design changes to make this available. The reality is that water flowing through this equipment is loaded with a soup of organic mater that quickly stains the walls of the collecting container. Additionally, having a visible fill line is useful only until the equipment reaches a mandated replacement date due to other criteria. Some of the competitors require changing the collecting container when solids reach the fill line OR every 6 months whichever occurs first. After 6 months of use the visible fill line might as well be opaque because it still has to be replaced, full or not.
Some agencies require amalgam separators to be at least 98% or 99% efficient at amalgam removal. What is the efficiency rating of the Rebec equipment? Rebec amalgam separators have been evaluated in numerous government scientific studies, evaluation by the ADA, and testing at independent laboratories. Rebec was one of the first to achieve approval by MCES in Minneapolis/St Paul at better than the 99% level. Subsequent Rebec models were tested to confirm similarity of operation and flow characteristics to ensure they would remove as efficiently as MCES models tested. Rebec has been granted authorization to market all models in the MCES coverage area at the 99% removal level. In addition, Maine has recognized Rebec models as meeting the 98% removal level and New York (99% requirement) has recently added Rebec models to their approved amalgam separator web site.
Why are bleach and oxidizing solutions bad for an amalgam separator? Oxidizing solutions such as bleach, hydrogen peroxide, and percarbonates can dissolve amalgam into toxic ionic mercury form. Once amalgam is converted to ionic speciation amalgam separators can not remove it and neither can the wastewater treatment plant. This mercury will bypass all treatment and end up in the local environment as it is discharged from the wastewater treatment plant.
Can I do my own annual maintenance and replace the collecting container myself or do I need to have the dental dealer service technician do this for me and charge a service call?Rebec amalgam separators are some of the easiest to service and should take less than 10 minutes to change out. The collecting container is isolated from the vacuum system with a few simple valves and disconnected just as you would disconnect your garden hose. If you prefer, your dental dealer technician can always assist you in this maintenance but they may charge a service call for the effort.
Other amalgam separator manufacturers require collecting container replacement based on a formula using factors like number of doctors, number of days of operation, or number of dental chairs why does Rebec have a single year for scheduled maintenance?We have opened and catalogued the filling characteristics of over two thousand collecting containers to determine what factors can be used to predict variable service schedules of the collecting container. What we have found is that there are no typical dental offices where a formula has any certainty of determining solids loading. What we have done is try to make the collecting container as large as possible to ensure that it will NOT fill in one year and then kept our maintenance costs as low as possible. In some circumstances if you feel that your office does not generate large solids loading Rebec may be able to extend service periods after inspection of the first returned collecting container. We are only able to extend service periods greater than one year if we are able to open and evaluate your first collector at the end of the first year. To extend service length of the collecting container you must contact Rebec after returning your spent collecting container and requesting an extended recycle period.
Why is it called an amalgam separator if it removes all solids and not just dental amalgam?We had to call it something. Actually the ISO 11143 standard defines the technical name for this equipment. Amalgam separators are tested for efficiency of removing dental amalgam but they all will remove other solids as well. Typically amalgam is not the major component of the solids removed by this equipment.
How will I know if my Rebec amalgam separator fills up in less than one year?This equipment is designed to never impede vacuum strength even should the collecting container prematurely fill. If you suspect that the system is loading prematurely there is a simple method to tell if the collector is full. If the upper surge tank is no longer hollow when given proper time to drain then water is not flowing properly through the collecting container. Simply tap the side of the upper surge tank and if it sounds hollow it is operating properly. If it is not hollow it requires immediate service. Although this situation is urgent, the upper surge tank will act as a sedimentation chamber and continue to remove a large protion of the amalgam during this mode of operation.
Can I use dishwasher detergent or other cleaning compounds to clean my vacuum lines?No. Vacuum line cleaners are designed not to foam. Dishwasher detergent or other cleaners usually have surfactants that will foam and cause disruption of your vacuum system. Foam can also generate a thick moose in combination with saliva and other body fluids that will fill your amalgam separator.
I sometimes have a foul odor coming from my vacuum equipment. Could my amalgam separator cause this problem? It is not the equipment since an amalgam separator acts like a wide spot in the pipe. Rebec amalgam separators are under vacuum and if there were a leak the air would be going into the equipment and odors would not be leaking out. What is causing the problem may be bacteria in the line or a break in the discharge from the vacuum pump. Try changing vacuum line cleaner to see if it will remove bacteria that have become resistant to your current brand. Ensure that the discharge off of your vacuum pump is discharged out of the building and not inside the mechanical room.
I am planning on upgrading my vacuum system. Will this affect my currently installed amalgam separator?Yes. Upgrading your vacuum equipment will likely increase the vacuum pressure and will dislodge any settled solids in your piping that have accumulated over the years. If this happens it is like an avalanche that will dislodge extensive solids and fill your amalgam separator rapidly. If you plan to upgrade your vacuum system please contact Rebec to prevent damage to your amalgam separator.
If you have any other questions please call our technical experts at 800-569-1088 and we will try to assist you.
