If a medical facility wishes to dispose of x-ray film, recycling is an option with serious benefits. The first benefit is the facility such as Industrial Surplus, Inc. of Sunnyvale, CA protects its clients from any issues that might be brought against it due to HIPAA non-compliance, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 that defines the proper disposal of medical waste where privacy is a concern. These recovery companies are very compliant in the complete destruction of x-ray films following all HIPAA regulations.
The second benefit is the medical practice opens up an additional revenue source by being paid for the silver that is recovered from the discarded film. This additional revenue could be a significant amount for some practices. Silver recovery from x-ray film amounts for 25 percent of the silver in the metals market. Several grams of silver can be recovered from each plate because silver is often used on both sides of the film. After the silver is recovered it is returned to its solid state and used again for jewelry or more x-ray film.
The third benefit is the return of space to the medical practice. Stored x-rays must be preserved under certain conditions. Usually x-rays are preserved in cold storage. This keeps the records safe for later reference if needed, however when their usefulness has expired and destruction is desired, much needed space is freed up to use for new record keeping when the practice choose to use xray recycling.
Xray film recycling can be used to handle the disposal of dental xray film and other medical x-rays, with the exception of non-destructive testing or NDT film. It cannot be recycled. A silver recycler such as Industrial Surplus Inc. prides itself in the quality of work they offer and the exceptional prices paid for the silver recovered from the film. As industry leaders, they set the standard and follow it with the utmost attention to detail. Sunnyvale, CA is one of many locations served by them. As is their custom, they strive to gain 100% customer satisfaction, by offering quality disposal and significant silver recovery netting the highest possible revenue for the medical practice.
