| Abstract Title: | Reducing Toxic Mercury in Dental Evacuation System with Transformational Enzyme Biological Cleaners. |
| Presenter Name: | Michael Radicone |
| Company/Institution: | i2 air fluid innovation, inc |
| Session: | Mercury Treatment / Abatement |
| Day and Session: | Monday 25th July - Session One |
| Start Time: | 0600 UTC |
| Co-Authors: | Michael Radicone |
Abstract Information :
According to the United Nations Environment Program, mercury dental fillings represent over 10% of the worlds mercury use (32 tons in the US annually). This equates to a significant mercury release into the environment through dental wastewater pathways and its persistence, once in the environment, is well established. Amalgam separators are installed to catch and contain, for future recycling and to reduce discharges to wastewater, excess amalgam waste or ablated particles drawn by the dental vacuum evacuation system. Without the separators, the amalgam waste would be released to the sewers.
Soluble toxic mercury compounds from the oral cavity and/or formed through methylation by sulfur reducing anaerobic bacteria are not captured by the amalgam separator. They are dissolved within the discharged dental wastewater or encapsulated within the organic foul mass lining the evacuation system pipes. These mercury compounds are released to the environment using the wastewater as a vehicle.
A unique dental evacuation system cleaner, Power Scrub by Solmetex, was created to compliment amalgam separation. It was formulated to address several of the pathways by which toxic mercury is presented to the environment. Firstly, it produces an oxygen rich environment within the evacuation system to hamper SRB anaerobes. It dissolves the organic biomasses containing the anaerobes and captured mercury compounds. The solution contains spore forming, digestive Mereduce microbes which are indigenous, aerobic, mercury tolerant and harvested to generate copious mercuric reductase enzymes. These enzymes, through an electron transfer, convert soluble toxic mercury compounds into insoluble inert mercury allowing for capture by the amalgam separator. Independent testing has shown a transformation of 80,000 ppb to under 200 within 24 hours.
This presentation will discuss the improved separator capture potential using mercuric transformative microbes and its potential in reducing total mercury presentation to the environment via the dental wastewater system.
