Showing papers on "Organomercury Compounds published in 1995"

Toxicity of organomercury compounds: bioassay results as a basis for risk assessment

Abstract: A former mercury plant, where mercury salts and organomercurials for pesticide use were produced, caused soil contamination in high concentrations. Typical organomercurial products included ethylmercury, phenylmercury, methoxyethylmercury and ethoxyethylmercury compounds. Risk assessment of these sites must be carried out before any major clean-up processes can be planned. A sensitive speciation technique for the various organomercury species in environmental matrices is a prerequisite for toxicity investigations. In this connection, a high-performance liquid chromatography-atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HPLC-AFS) technique has been developed to differentiate between and determine the presence of eight organomercury compounds in environmental samples. Using this technique, methylmercury, ethylmercury and phenylmercury and some unknown organomercury species were found in soil samples collected from the sites of an old mercury products producing plant. With regard to risk assessment, it is necessary to assess the toxicity of the organomercurials. As different microbial metabolic pathways react differently to mercury and its compounds, batteries of bioassays are, therefore, useful to evaluate the toxicity of pollutants. To describe the toxicity and genotoxicity of MeHg+, MeOEtHg+, EtHg+, EtOEtHg+ and PhHg+, p-tolymercury chloride, nitromersol and Hg2+ six bioassays were used: resazurin reduction method, Spirillum volutans test, nematode toxicity assay Panagrellus redivivus, Toxi-Chromotest and SOS-Chromotest. A ranking of the toxicity of the organomercurial is shown. The SOS-Chromotest indicated genotoxicity for 5-7 organomercurials.

Critical Review of Analytical Methods for Determination of Inorganic Mercury and Methylmercury Compounds

Abstract: This review describes determinations of mercury compounds under three categories: total mercury; separate determinations of inorganic mercury(II) and organomercury compounds by selective reduction; and speciation of inorganic mercury(II), monomethylmercury cation, and dimethylmercury. Topics described for each category include sample treatment, separation, detection, and limit of detection. Finally, we note that most methods would not detect dimethylmercury if it were present.

GC‐MIP‐PED as an element‐specific system for the determination of organomercury compounds

Abstract: The application of the combination of gas chromatography and a self-developed plasma emission detector for organomercury speciation is presented. The system, basing on interference filter technology, is described briefly. The plasma and the optical system have to be optimized to reach highest sensitivity for mercury detection. Dimethyl-, methyl- and inorganic mercury as selected compounds have been separated on a GC column and calibrated to obtain the analytical performance data of the system used. Finally, the analysis of some real samples has been performed.