Vacuuming a mercury-contaminated dental office may be hazardous to your health.

Exposure to mercury contamination in the dental office poses a potential hazard for dental personnel. Although many precautions for containing the poisonous metal vapors are routinely observed, dental personnel may place themselves at risk by failing to use proper cleaning techniques. Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have discovered that vacuum cleaners designed for the home are sometimes used to clean dental office carpets, which might be contaminated with mercury. Since ordinary vacuum cleaners increase airborne mercury concentrations, dental personnel should use a specially designed vacuuming system for mercury recovery.