Dentists that use the MARS LibertyBOSS Amalgam Separator filter out mercury from our wastewater. Environmental mercury comes from many sources of which Dental Practices are a major contributor. Mercury amalgam is released from the dental practice where it enters the city’s sewer system, heading towards the Water Treatment Plants. Most of the mercury leaving a dental practice is soluble or dissolved. Soluble mercury is more easily absorbed by the human body. No chemical or sediment traps would be able to capture it, therefore it will enter into our waterways. The mercury will then flow into larger bodies of water which we use for food (fish and other wildlife), irrigation (farming) and supplying our homes.

Bioaccumulation

The term bioaccumulation refers to the net accumulation over time of metals within an organism from both biotic (other organisms) and abiotic (soil, air, and water) sources. Simply put, anything that lives, eats or uses a contaminated body of water will absorb the toxins in its surroundings. The higher the organisms are on the food chain, the higher concentration of mercury there will be. This process is called biomagnification. With our Find a Dentist app, you can make sure you can find a dentist near you with a LibertyBOSS amalgam separator.

Why the MARS LibertyBOSS?

Amalgam separators are used to remove the mercury out of the dental wastewater before it enters the city’s sewer system. Without an amalgam separator, the average dentist will release roughly three pounds of solid mercury per year. Mercury amalgam, being more dangerous than standard mercury because it contains 4% tin, which has an ionic charge that will release the mercury into its free state. If this mercury amalgam is submerged into a liquid, it creates soluble mercury, a substance that your local water treatment plant cannot capture with current technology. Your Dentist has made the conscious effort to be environmental by installing the only amalgam separator to be rated as “Best Available Technology” and “Environmentally Friendly.” The MARS LibertyBOSS amalgam separator is able to capture all forms of mercury, including soluble. This assists in making your Doctor’s practice more environmentally friendly than other practices who chose to use other types of amalgam separators or have not yet installed one.

A Bit on Mercury

Mercury is a known neurotoxin and can cause birth defects. It has not always been considered an environmental hazard as it is today. Mercury was commonly used in many devices and found in many science classrooms. In the 1800’s, “Mad Hatters Disease” was an occupational hazard among hat makers (turning fur into felt), caused by the combination of poor ventilation and chronic mercury poisoning. It affected those who’s felting work involved prolonged exposure to mercury vapors. As a waste entering the environment, it was not considered very hazardous and often considered insoluble in water. In the 1980’s the level of mercury entering a Waste Water Treatment plant was not a concern unless it was over 2 parts per billion. The drinking water standard at that time allowed the limit for mercury to be as much as 2 parts per billion (2 ug/L or 2,000 ng/L). It was the issue of mercury in the food supply that changed our way of thinking. To put it another way, one teaspoon of mercury can damage a 10 acre lake, causing it to be toxic to fish and animals, as well as to humans who use the fish as food.

How Your Dentist is Doing Their Part

One of the ways your Dentist has made an effort to be more environmentally conscience is by installing the only amalgam separator to be rated as the “Best Available Technology” and “Environmentally Friendly”. The MARS LibertyBOSS amalgam separator is able to capture all forms of mercury, including soluble. This assists in making your Doctor’s practice more environmentally friendly than other practices who chose to use other types of amalgam separators that only target solid mercury.