1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. Mercury consumption (EU27+2)
Application area
Mercury consumption (t/y)
% of total, 2007
2001
2003
2007
Chlor-alkali production
n.a.
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.
0,1
Chemicals
28-59 10
Miscellaneous uses 55
15-114 15
Total (round)
202+n.a.
440
100
CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. Thank you for your patience!
Questions?
CEC/DG ENV/G.2/P. Mouratidis