A M E R I C A N D E N T A L A S S O C I A T I O N
Central District Dental Society
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The Environmentally Responsible Dental Office: A Guide to Proper Waste Management in Dental Offices Northeast Natural Resource Center of the National Wildlife Federation and The Vermont State Dental Society June 1999 People and Nature: Our Future is in the Balance |
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The Environmentally Responsible Dental Office Guide It may come as a surprise that dental care professionals have an extraordinary opportunity to help protect and restore the nation’s rivers and lakes with simple changes in the way you dispose of waste in your office. We know, for example, that 40 states have fish consumption advisories due to mercury contamination. Mercury and other materials critical to your work can become poisons to people and wildlife if they are disposed of improperly. Your choices in disposing of those materials can make a tremendous difference. That’s why the National Wildlife Federation created this guide to running an environmentally responsible dental office. It’s intended to give dentists, dental assistants, and office staff simple ideas for changes that can go a long way in preventing the release of mercury and other potentially harmful contaminants to our nation’s streams, lakes and rivers. As you are well aware, elemental mercury is among the most common hazardous materials in the dental office. It is a toxic substance that threatens the health of humans and wildlife throughout North America. Mercury is particularly threatening because it “bioaccumulates” in the food chain, collecting and building up in the tissues of small fish and other species and then accumulating in ever-increasing amounts as those creatures are consumed by others higher up the chain. Humans, as well as wildlife, can suffer severe health effects from consuming mercurycontaminated fish. Currently, fish consumption advisories are issued in many areas to warn sensitive populations, such as pregnant women, women of childbearing age, and young children, to limit their intake of certain species of fish, or to avoid eating these fish altogether. But this approach poses problems for people who eat fish as a mainstay of their diets and for local economies that depend on the fishing industry for local jobs. A far better solution is to end the contamination at its source. And that’s where you come in. Please read this guide to learn how dental offices can limit the amount of mercury and other chemicals entering the environment by using common-sense pollution prevention and waste management techniques. You’ll also find tips on the proper handling of other harmful chemicals present in dental offices. This guide is part of the National Wildlife Federation’s ongoing efforts to provide citizens with the knowledge, the tools and the help they need to restore our nation’s rivers and lakes and keep them free from toxic pollution. That work has never been more urgent. Despite incredible progress in addressing some of the most visible sources of pollution, others, like mercury, remain a significant threat. Addressing such threats and ensuring a healthier world for humans and wildlife begins with knowledge and understanding, followed by the action of people who care. We hope you will use the information provided by this guide to act on your own desire to help. Together, we can make a difference. Mark Van Putten, President and CEO National Wildlife Federation - the following guide was created by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the Vermont State Dental Society (VSDS) in collaboration with the following project Task Force Members: Dr. Jerome DeSnyder, DDS Plattsburgh, New York Dr. Daniel Ferraris, DMD South Burlington, Vermont Doug Kievit-Kylar Pollution Prevention Planner Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Waterbury, Vermont Tom Moreau District Manager, Chittenden Solid Waste District Williston, Vermont Mark Moroukian, P.E. Environmental Engineer, Pollution Prevention Unit New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Albany, New York Hollie Shaner, RN, MSA Environmental Health Coordinator Fletcher Allen Healthcare Burlington, Vermont Peter Taylor Executive Director, Vermont State Dental Society South Burlington, Vermont The National Wildlife Federation’s Northeast Natural Resource Center (NNRC), based in Montpelier, Vermont, is one of ten field offices of NWF. NWF is a non-profit conservation and education organization with headquarters in Vienna, Virginia. Founded in 1936, NWF, its members and supporters, and a national network of affiliated organizations, works to educate citizens about the need for sustainable use and proper management of our natural resources. NWF’s mission is “...to educate, inspire, and assist individuals and organizations of diverse cultures to conserve wildlife and other natural resources while protecting the Earth’s environment to promote a peaceful, equitable, and sustainable future.” The NWF’s NNRC has three overall purposes: to represent NWF on a local and regional basis among the New England states; to work with state affiliate organizations within the region; and, to conduct research, education, and advocacy programs on conservation issues of regional significance in the Northeast. The principal authors of this report are Monique Gilbert and Wendy Houston-Anderson, Water Resources Project Associates at NWF. The authors would like to thank the following people for their editorial support: Kari Dolan, NNRC Water Resources Project Manager; Eric Palola, NNRC Director; Guy Williams, NWF Pollution Prevention Specialist; Terri Goldberg, Pollution Prevention Program Manager, Northeast Waste Management Official’s Association; and, the following dental staff members: Debb Dowling; Joanna Hoke; Judy Jones; and, Dixie Vallie. The NWF would like to thank the Vermont State Dental Society for its time, donation of office space, and expertise throughout the process of developing this guide, and the project’s Task Force, which greatly contributed to the overall success of this undertaking. Funding for this guide was provided through a grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program to the National Wildlife Federation’s Northeast Natural Resource Center. NWF would also like to thank the Ward M. and Mariam C. Canaday Educational and Charitable Trust for their financial support. The views expressed in this report are the views of the National Wildlife Federation and not those of the Task Force. For additional copies of this guide or more information, please contact: The National Wildlife Federation Northeast Natural Resource Center 58 State Street Montpelier, Vermont 05602 (802) 229-0650 gilbert@nwf.org or Vermont State Dental Society 100 Dorset Street, Suite 18 South Burlington, Vermont 05403 (800) 640-5099 ptaylorvt@aol.com |
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| http://www.p2pays.org/ref/18/17432.pdf |