dental office waste water. Source control, which is the elimination of mercury
from the waste water entering sewage treatment plants, is the method being
promoted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) USA and other
sewage treatment agencies, for the reduction of mercury discharged into the
surrounding aquatic and natural environment. In certain parts of the US, most
notably states in New England, in the Great Lakes region and on the West Coast,
dental offices are being asked to practice source reduction to decrease the amount
of amalgam discharged into the waste water. Source reduction can vary from best
management practices, including the proper disposal of chair side traps and
vacuum filter traps, to the voluntary installation of the amalgam separators.