Mercury emissions from dental amalgam WFD - Drafting Group on Emissions Brussels, 24 February 2009 Pavlos Mouratidis European Commission DG ENV/G2 CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis

Mercury in the environment RGM = Reactive Gaseous Mercury PHg = Particulate Mercury Most mercury in the atmosphere (95-97%) is present in the neutral elemental state Hg° In water, sediments and soils, most mercury is found in the oxidised, divalent state HgII. A small fraction of this pool of divalent mercury is transformed by microbes into methylmercury (CH3HgII). CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis

Community Strategy Concerning Mercury (I) Objectives / Actions Reduce emissions (1-4) Cut supply (5) and demand (6-8) Take care of existing surpluses and reservoirs (9-10) Protect against exposure (11-12) Improve understanding of the problem and its solutions (13) Support and promote international action (14-20) A key aim is to reduce mercury levels in the environment and human exposure, especially from methylmercury in fish. But eliminating the problem of methylmercury in fish will probably take decades, as present levels are due to past emissions, and would take time to fall even without further releases. The Community has already taken much action to reduce mercury emissions and uses. This does not mean that no more can be done, but highlights the importance of full implementation of existing measures by Member States, and of making progress at the global level. The strategy therefore has the following objectives: Reducing mercury emissions. Reducing the entry into circulation of mercury in society by cutting supply and demand. Resolving the long-term fate of mercury surpluses and societal reservoirs (in products still in use or in storage). Protecting against mercury exposure. Improving understanding of the mercury problem and its solutions. Supporting and promoting international action on mercury. Progress, gaps and additional actions to be taken are described below for each objective. References to the short and medium terms relate to the next 3 years and 4-6 years respectively. Longer term actions will be identified following review of the strategy. CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis

Community Strategy Concerning Mercury (II) Action 4 The Commission will review Member States’ implementation of Community requirements on the treatment of dental amalgam waste, and will take appropriate steps thereafter to ensure correct application CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis

Mercury consumption (EU27+2) Application area Mercury consumption (t/y) % of total, 2007 2001 2003 2007 Chlor-alkali production n.a. 190 160-190 41 Light sources 5.9 35 11-15 3 Batteries 9 20 7 - 25 4 Dental amalgam 90 90-110 24 Measuring equipment 33 7-17 Switches, relays, etc. 0.3-0.8 0,1 Chemicals 28-59 10 Miscellaneous uses 55 15-114 15 Total (round) 202+n.a. 440 320-520 100 CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis

Mercury accumulated in society (in use, 2007) Application area Accumulated (t) Percentage Chlor-alkali production 13100 88 Light sources 65 0,4 Batteries 99 0,7 Dental amalgam 1000 7 Measuring equipment 70 0,5 Switches, relays, etc. 125 0,8 Light houses 75 Chemicals 300 2 Miscellaneous uses 50 0,3 Total (round) 14900 100 Waste mercury and contaminated sites excluded, total would be 34000t CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis

Mercury in waste (intentional uses, EU27+2) Application area Quantities disposed (t /y) Quantities recovered (t/y) % recovered Recycling efficiency (%) Chlor-alkali production 119 35 34 29 Light sources 14 1,6 2 11 Batteries 30 4 13 Dental amalgam 95 32 Measuring equipment 21 4,5 Switches, relays, etc. 7 50 Chemicals 41 6,5 6 16 Miscellaneous uses 70 19 Total (round) 404 102 100 25 Reliable information for application areas for which specific waste management infrastructure exists, i.e. chlor-alkali, batteries, light sources and components of electrical and electronic equipment. Main sources of mercury in waste, as well as the main sources of mercury recovred fromwaste are chlor-alkali production CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis

Dental amalgam waste pathways Use in dental clinics Most dental mercury waste results from the removal of previous fillings from patients teeth. Simplified illustration of the general flow of mercury through the dental clinic and downstream. It does not show that mercury may be released to the air in the clinic and from the clinic wastewater system. Dental offices are the major source of mercury emissions into many, probably most, wasterwater treatment facilities. Small amounts of mercury escape directly into the water supply from wastewater treatment plants Most mercury settles into the wastewater sludge Mercury entering wastewater treatment facilities may finally return to the environment one route or another, e.g. disposal of sludge via incineration, land filling etc. Mercury accumulates in dental office plumbing, often in large quantities Properly installed and maintained amalgam separators are very efficient and can reduce dental amalgam into municipal sewarage systems up to 90-95%. Without separators as much as 50-70% of the total mercury content of the amalgam waste goes down the drain CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis

Mercury flows associated with dental amalgam (EEB, 2007) Application area Mercury flow 2007 ( t) Percentage (%) Yearly consumption 80-110 Retained by simple traps in clinics 23 24 Retained by separators in clinics 18 19 Lost directly to atmosphere 5 Disposed to municipal waste 17 Discharged as wastewater 22 In cremated bodies 4 In buried bodies 7 Total (round) 95 100 On the basis of a study by EEB, the quantity of mercury in the dental mercury waste stream approximates the nearly 80-110 consumed annually. 35-50t of Hg are estimated to ultimately end up to various environmental media, of which 40-60% to the soil (via wastewater sludge to land disposal, via burial, via atmospheric deposition followig cremation or wastewater sludge incinatation, etc), and 5-15% to the atmosphere. In additon important amounts are released to surface waters (10-20%) and eventually to groundwater (5-15%) CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis

Mercury in dental amalgam mass balance Production of goods Dental amalgam Production 130t Import 25t Export 60t Consumption 95t Accumulated in products (EU) 1000t Released by use/breakage For recovery MSW Disposal Other disposal 30t 22t 43t All mercury not recovered or ending up in municipal solid waste (MSW) is indicated as other disposal (e.g. emissions from cremations) CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis

Contaminated sites in the EU27+2 Application area Mercury contamination (t) Minimum Maximum Chlor-alkali production 8.000 14.000 VCM production 1.000 2.000 Hg-containing products 110 1.800 Other chemical industry 100 400 Mercury mines & smelters 500 700 Other mines & smelters 1.500 Total (round) 11.000 20.000 CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis

Mercury Export Ban Regulation-Reg (EC) 1102/2008) Prohibition of export of metallic mercury (Hg), cinnabar ore, mercury (I) chloride (Hg2Cl2), mercury (II) oxide (HgO) and mixtures of at least 95% w/w from 15 March 2011. Hg no longer used in chlor-alkali, Hg from cleaning of natural gas, Hg from non-ferrous mining and smelting operations, extracted from cinnabar ore as from 15/3/2011 shall be considered waste Safe disposal in salt mines, or deep underground hard rock formations Reporting obligations on Hg quantities used, stored or decommissioned. Potential revision of the Regulation by 15/3/2013 following a proposal by the Commission CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis

Additional Information Options for reducing mercury use in products and applications, and the fate of mercury already circulating in society, COWI, December 2008 Reducing Dental Mercury Emissions: Installing Amalgam Separators and Achieving Compliance, US House of Representatives, Domestic policy Subcommittee, September 2008 Guidance for Implementing the January 2001 Methylmercury Water Quality Criterion, US EPA, January 2009 CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis

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