Quantitative Analysis of Mercury Burden in the Wastewater Released from Dental Clinics in the United Arab Emirates

Sausan Al Kawas

doi:10.7707/hmj.v6i2.118

Article Details

Quantitative Analysis of Mercury Burden in the Wastewater Released from Dental Clinics in the United Arab Emirates

Authors:

Sausan Al Kawas

Publisher:

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences

Main Topics:

Medicine

Journal:

Hamdan Medical Journal 2013 vol.6 Issue 2, pp.191-196

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2013

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

47607

Frequency:

Tri-Annual

eISSN:

2227247X

pISSN:

22272437

DOI:

10.7707/hmj.v6i2.118

Descriptors:

Abstract:

 Amalgam waste from dental clinics is a significant source of mercuryreleased into the environment when it is washed down a drain or disposedof improperly. Mercury is of particular concern because of its potentialadverse effects on humans and the environment. As a consequence, severalmeasures have been adopted by dental clinics worldwide to reduce mercurydischarge into the environment. The aim of this study was to quantitativelyasses the mercury burden in the wastewater discharged from some dentalclinics in the United Arab Emirates using a cold-vapour atomic absorptionspectrometry technique. Wastewater samples were collected from 28 publicclinics at Sharjah and Abu Dhabi over a period of 10–14 days. The averageconcentration of mercury in all samples was 317.7 μg/l, with a standarddeviation of 379.7 μg/l and a range from below the method detectionlimit (MDL) to 1535.2 μg/l. The results show some variation in mercuryconcentrations between samples, depending on the type and nature ofdental operations undertaken at the specific clinic from which each sampleoriginated. Most of the wastewater released from dental clinics in the studyarea contains concentrations of mercury which, although lower than levelsreported elsewhere in the literature, are unacceptable according to local andinternational environmental standards. This implies that such wastewatershould not be discharged without adequate pretreatment in order to reducemercury pollution in the environment.

Article Details

Quantitative Analysis of Mercury Burden in the Wastewater Released from Dental Clinics in the United Arab Emirates

Authors:

Sausan Al Kawas

Publisher:

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences

Main Topics:

Medicine

Journal:

Hamdan Medical Journal 2013 vol.6 Issue 2, pp.191-196

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2013

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

47607

Frequency:

Tri-Annual

eISSN:

2227247X

pISSN:

22272437

DOI:

10.7707/hmj.v6i2.118

Descriptors:

WASTEWATER

DENTISTRY

MERCURY

WASTES

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS

WASTEWATER TREATMENT

Issues

Article Details

Quantitative Analysis of Mercury Burden in the Wastewater Released from Dental Clinics in the United Arab Emirates

Authors: Sausan Al Kawas

Publisher: Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences

Main Topics: Medicine

Journal: Hamdan Medical Journal 2013 vol.6 Issue 2, pp.191-196

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 8/2013

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 47607

Frequency: Tri-Annual

eISSN: 2227247X

pISSN: 22272437

DOI: 10.7707/hmj.v6i2.118

Descriptors:

WASTEWATER

DENTISTRY

MERCURY

WASTES

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS

WASTEWATER TREATMENT

Issues

Authors:

Sausan Al Kawas

Publisher:

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences

Main Topics:

Medicine

Journal:

Hamdan Medical Journal 2013 vol.6 Issue 2, pp.191-196

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2013

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

47607

Frequency:

Tri-Annual

eISSN:

2227247X

pISSN:

22272437

DOI:

10.7707/hmj.v6i2.118