Interpretation Response #00-0199 ([Florida Department of Environmental Protection] [Ms. Irene Gleason])
Below is the interpretation response detail and a list of regulations sections applicable to this response.
Interpretation Response Details
Response Publish Date:
Company Name: Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Individual Name: Ms. Irene Gleason
Location State: FL Country: US
View the Interpretation Document
Response text:
September 21, 2000
Ms. Irene Gleason Ref. No. 00-0199
Hazardous Waste Management Section
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Two Towers Office Building
2600 Blair Stone Road
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400
Dear Ms. Gleason:
This is in response to your letter dated July 17, 2000, requesting clarification on shipping scrap dental amalgam under the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180). Specifically, you ask whether scrap amalgam is regulated under the HMR.
According to your letter and attached "Scrap Dental Amalgam Management Procedures," dental amalgam, usually a mix of 50% mercury with the remainder being silver and small amounts of tin, copper, and other metals, is used for filling cavities in teeth. The scrap amalgam is decontaminated with 1:100 bleach before being sent for reclamation to various facilities.
Under § 173.22, it is the shipper's responsibility to properly classify and describe a hazardous material. This office does not normally perform that function. However, based on the information provided in your letter, it is the opinion of this Office that since the waste amalgam is decontaminated before shipping for reclamation, it does not meet the defining criteria for a Division 6.2 infectious substance or regulated medical waste. However, if the quantity of mercury in one package meets or exceeds the reportable quantity specified in the HMR, it would be regulated as a Class 9 environmentally hazardous substance when shipped to the reclamation facility.
I hope this answers your inquiry.
Sincerely,
Delmer F. Billings
Chief, Standards Development
Office of Hazardous Materials Standards
173.22
Regulation Sections
| Section | Subject |
|---|---|
| 173.22 | Shipper's responsibility |