(A) For the purpose of this section, the following definition shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ISO 11143. The International Organization for Standardization’s standard for amalgam separators.
(B) (1) All owners and operators of dental facilities that remove or place amalgam fillings shall comply with the following waste management practices.
(a) No person shall rinse chair-side traps, vacuum screens or amalgam separator equipment in a sink or other connection to the sanitary sewer. Such traps, vacuum screens or amalgam separator equipment must be recycled or disposed of in an appropriate manner according to recycler or equipment manufacturer.
(b) Owners and operators of dental facilities shall ensure that all staff members who handle amalgam waste are trained in the proper handling, management and disposal of mercury-containing material and fixer-containing solutions, and shall maintain training records that will be made available for inspection by the District during normal business hours.
(c) Amalgam waste shall be collected, packaged, labeled, stored and managed in accordance with state and local regulations and disposed of by a licensed recycler or hauler of such materials.
(d) Bleach and other chlorine-containing disinfectants shall not be used to disinfect the vacuum line system.
(2) All owners and operators of dental vacuum suction systems, except as set forth in division (B)(2)(d) below, shall comply with the following:
(a) Submit a self-certification of amalgam management requirements form issued by the District on or before November 1, 2020;
(b) 1. Install an ISO 11143 certified amalgam separator device for each dental vacuum suction system on or before March 1, 2022. All dental facilities that are newly constructed on or after the effective date of this chapter shall include an installed ISO 11143 certified amalgam separator device capable of removing a minimum of 95% of amalgam. The amalgam separator system shall be certified at flow rates comparable to the flow rate of the actual vacuum suction system operation. Neither the separator device nor the related plumbing shall include an automatic flow bypass.
2. For facilities that require an amalgam separator that exceeds the practical capacity of ISO 11143 test methodology, a non-certified separator will be accepted, provided that smaller units of the same technology from the same manufacturer are ISO-certified. For facilities that have installed amalgam separators on or before the effective date of this chapter that are not ISO-certified, they may be grandfathered in if it can be shown that the existing device provides amalgam removal similar to an ISO-certified system. Alternative materials and methods may be proposed to the District for approval.
(c) Self-certification of amalgam separator installation form issued by the District shall be submitted to the District within 30 days of installation;
(d) Amalgam separators shall be installed, operated and maintained in accordance with manufacturer recommendations. Installation, certification and maintenance records shall be available for immediate inspection upon request by the District during normal business hours; and
(e) The following types of dental practices are exempt from this section, provided that the District receives written assurance that removal or placement of amalgam fillings occurs at the facility no more than three days per year: orthodontics, periodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, radiology, oral pathology or oral medicine, endodontics and prosthodontics.
(Ord. 2022-02, passed 3-31-2022)