| UK Dentists Efforts in Establishing “Green” Dental Practices are Applauded by the US Eco Dentistry |
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| Wednesday, 27 April 2024 11:14 |
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Dr. Ina Pockrass, co-founder of the US Eco Dentistry Association, recently greeted the efforts of UK dentists and leaders in applying “green” practices in capturing dental materials containing mercury before they reach the water supply. Dr. Pockrass spoke during the celebration of Earth Day, which took place on April 22nd. She said “Unlike the US, which has yet to pass a federal amalgam separator regulation, the UK began requiring these low-cost machines back in the mid 1990s. The separators are an essential piece of environmental stewardship because without them, local waste water treatment facilities are not able to capture the elemental mercury before it enters the water supply.” Dr. Pockrass continued “Why do we care? Otherwise, that elemental mercury is ingested by fish and transformed into methyl mercury, which is highly toxic when consumed by humans. So, we applaud the forward-thinking folks in the UK who have helped dentists be good citizens of their local communities by keeping this material out of the water supplies.” (It is methyl mercury that caused birth defects in Japanese children in the 1950s). The website of the US Eco Dentistry Association is featuring the top 10 Earth Day tips the dentists should follow. These tips include: 1. Replacing disposable office products with re-usables, like washable 'rinse and swish' cups. 2. Re-using lab boxes. 3. Using cloth lab coats as a replacement to throwing out a paper lab coat after each patient. 4. Changing to an environmentally sound surface disinfectant. 5. Recycling spent printer cartridges instead of throwing them in the landfill 6. Buying prophy paste in bulk 7. Giving older waiting room magazines to a nearby retirement home instead of throwing them away. 8. Using emails to send patients their 'walk-out' statements instead of printing them. 9. Requesting that the dental supply company ship as many items as possible in one box. 10. Turning off the water when brushing teeth saves up to 90 glasses of water; asking patients to do the same. |
