Background
As part of its mercury source control effort, the City of San Francisco has maintained a list of pre-approved dental office pretreatment units.  These units, known as amalgam separators, had each passed an internationally-accepted laboratory performance standard (ISO-11143). 

Although San Francisco dental offices have all installed amalgam separators, many other agencies in the Bay Area continue to need a list of these units.  Therefore, BAPPG has taken on the role of maintaining this list.

DOWNLOAD a .pdf version of the Amalgam Separator List

Summary of 2010 Update
Staff of SFPUC, and a technical consultant worked together to develop the BAPPG amalgam separator list (pdf).  This update includes units offered by manufacturers who provided the following:

• completed equipment questionnaire form (pdf);
  
  
• product information, including such items as brochures, installation instructions, and an operations manual;
  
  
• certified documentation showing that: (1) ISO-11143 tests were conducted within the last 5 years  by an  accredited laboratory, and (2) these tests show the unit has an amalgam removal efficiency of at least 95%; and
  
  
• certified documentation showing that: (1) an independent party has done a quality assurance audit within the last year, and (2) this audit shows that units now being manufactured are essentially the same as those tested in the laboratory.

Next Update
Future editions of the BAPPG separator list are expected to include units from additional manufacturers that are currently having updated tests performed on their equipment.

For more information

Contact Meg Gale, SFPUC, (415) 695-7378 or mgale@sfwater.org

Visit the SFPUC Dental Program Webpage