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PubMed2004

Health and safety considerations following the death of a patient.

Arthur, who had spent all his life in Liverpool, came to live with his niece in Brighton. He was in his eighties and systematically prepared for his death. He told her that he would like to be cremated and the ashes returned to Liverpool. On his death in hospital, the family made arrangements for him to be cremated. Unfortunately no one remembered or checked about the fact that a heart pacemaker had been inserted many years before, and when questioned by funeral directors, no warnings were given by the family. The pacemaker exploded in the crematorium and the local authority who was responsible for its upkeep claimed compensation from the family or NHS trust. Who, if anyone, is liable?

Cause of Death↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Principles of developing methods for decontamination and preservation of water-containing human wastes in a mission to Mars].

Chemical and microbial safety will be one of the major functions of a closed eco-system aboard piloted interplanetary vehicle. Methods for decontamination and preservation of water-containing human wastes (WHW) should be developed on the assumption that WHW are a labile biochemical system biological and chemical processes of which are intricately dependent on preservatives, regenerative water quality, structural material off-gassing, and methods of WHW collection, storage, and management.

Decontamination↗
PubMed2004

Cost-effectiveness of removing amalgam from dental wastewater.

Mercury in the form of amalgam is commonly introduced into dental wastewater as a result of amalgam placements and removals. Dental wastewater is primarily discharged to municipal sewers that convey industrial and residential wastewater to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) for treatment prior to discharge to surface waters. In some localities, the sewage sludge generated by POTWs from the treatment of wastewater is incinerated, resulting in the emission of mercury to the atmosphere. Some of the mercury emitted from the incinerators is deposited locally or regionally and will enter surface waters. An assessment was conducted of the use of mercury in amalgam in California and the discharge of that mercury from dental facilities to surface waters via the effluent from POTWs and air emissions from sewage sludge incinerators (SSIs). The annual use of mercury in amalgam placements conducted in California was estimated to be approximately 2.5 tons. The annual discharge of mercury in the form of amalgam from dental facilities to POTWs as a result of amalgam placements and removals was estimated as approximately one ton. The discharge of mercury to surface waters in California via POTW effluents and SSI emissions was estimated to total approximately 163 pounds. A cost-effectiveness analysis determined that the annual cost to the California dental industry to reduce mercury discharges to surface waters through the use of amalgam separators would range from 130,000 dollars to 280,000 dollars per pound.

California↗
PubMed2004

The use of CDA best management practices and amalgam separators to improve the management of dental wastewater.

Concerns over the persistence and effects of mercury in the environment, particularly in wastewater, have increased significantly over the past decade. Because mercury is a component of dental amalgam, comprising about 50 percent of amalgam among other metals, in recent years the concern has affected dental practices and even educational curricula in the dental schools. While numbers vary widely from area to area, on average, it is estimated dentistry contributes less than 1 percent of the mercury generated from human activity to the environment. Despite dentistry's low contribution to the environmental mercury load, organized dentistry's position is that dentistry's role as a public health profession includes environmental stewardship, as well as patient safety, and that dental professionals must act responsibly by taking steps to prevent amalgam waste or any potentially harmful materials from entering the environment, no matter how small the amount. In support of this belief, both the California Dental Association and the American Dental Association have developed recommendations for best practice that dental offices should follow when handling dental amalgam waste. Many dental schools and auxiliary programs have shown their commitment to minimizing detrimental effects to the environment, evidenced by the fact that most, if not all, have incorporated safe work practices including mercury hygiene procedures as part of clinical coursework. Some local jurisdictions hardest hit by the effects of mercury in wastewater have gone even further to recommend, or even require, the installation of amalgam separators in dental offices. This article will describe the history of BMPs and amalgam separators usage in California, and examine the practical aspects of their usage in reducing the discharge of dental amalgam into waste streams.

California↗