Routine, automated determination of inorganic and total mercury in multimedia using cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry.
A routine, automated analytical method for simultaneous determination of total and inorganic mercury by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry in multimedia is described. Excellent accuracy and precision results were obtained with human hair certified reference materials namely, BCR-397 and IAEA-086. The reproducibility relative standard deviation for total mercury was 4% and 22%, respectively. The limit of detection for total and inorganic mercury was 0.2 microg/g hair. The described method has been successfully applied in determination of total and inorganic mercury as well as organic mercury in human hair, urine and fish tissue samples.
Environmental Research Division, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada, Sir Frederick G. Banting Research Centre, PL 2201A, Ottawa, Ont. K1AOL2, Canada. udai_gill@hc-sc.gc.ca
Udai
U
Gill
Louis
L
Bigras
Harold
H
Schwartz
D001331:Automation; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D014835:Volatilization
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008628:Mercury