Page 54 - Compendium Chapters for Course 1 (IC, DPA, OSHA)

contained and managed by local and state approved disposal providers.
• Pharmaceutical Waste – includes medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, which have expired.
• Universal/Recyclable Waste – includes batteries, fluorescent lamps/lights.
Regular non-hazardous waste should be handled and recycled whenever possible; however, local waste management practices set by the dental office location may prescribe how even regular waste is handled. The dentist is responsible for proper packaging, labeling and transporting of waste generated in the dental office. Many dental offices choose to use a licensed transporter, a disposal service, or state authorized company to dispose of and treat regulated waste; either way, the dental office and the dentist is always responsible for the waste until it is rendered destroyed.
Management of Hazardous Waste Streams
The following section addresses the proper management of materials commonly used in dental offices which are potentially hazardous or otherwise regulated materials. These materials include mercury and dental amalgam (elemental mercury, amalgam capsules, scrap amalgam, contact amalgam) x-ray processing wastes, lead foils or other heavy metals, disinfectants and medical waste.
Dental Amalgam Wastes
Dental amalgam waste should never be discharged to the sewer or discarded with solid waste or medical waste. Dental amalgam is nearly 50% mercury, a metal that is classified as either a hazardous or universal waste when discarded, and also contains other heavy metals such as silver, zinc, copper and tin. If scrap dental amalgam is collected and sent away for recycling, then it is considered universal waste, as long as certain best management practices are followed (see asterisks below). If dental amalgam waste is discarded, then it must be removed offsite as hazardous waste.
Best Management Practices (BMPs)
• Do not rinse amalgam-containing traps, filters, or containers in the sink.*
• Do not place amalgam, elemental mercury, broken or unusable amalgam capsules, extracted teeth with amalgam, or amalgam-containing traps and filters with medical "red-bag" waste or regular solid waste.*
• Recycle, or manage as hazardous waste, amalgam, elemental mercury, broken or unusable amalgam capsules, extracted teeth with amalgam, amalgam-containing waste from traps and filters. Empty dental amalgam capsules containing no visible materials
Intro Page - 54
Introductory Chapter: Dental Practice Act, Infection Control and Cal-OSHA
The California RDAEF: A Compendium for Licensure Success © The Foundation for Allied Dental Education, Inc. 2016 Copyright protected. All rights reserved