Mercury is a highly toxic heavy metal and the ability of the neurotoxin methylmercury to biomagnify in the food chain is a serious concern for both public and environmental health globally. Because thousands of tons of mercury are released into the environment each year, remediation strategies are urgently needed and prompted this study. To facilitate remediation of both organic and inorganic f...

Mercury is emitted to the atmosphere from various natural and anthropogenic sources, and degrades with difficulty in the environment. Mercury exists as various species, mainly elemental (Hg(0)) and divalent (Hg(2+)) mercury depending on its oxidation states in air and water. Mercury emitted to the atmosphere can be deposited into aqueous environments by wet and dry depositions, and some can be ...

Methylmercury production by sulfate reducing bacteria in coastal sediments leads to bioaccumulation of mercury in fish, shellfish, and ultimately humans. Sulfur, organic carbon, and sediment structure and composition can all affect methylmercury production by changing the amount of bioavailable inorganic mercury and by stimulating the activity of methylating microbes. This study investigates to...

The production of the neurotoxic methylmercury in the environment is partly controlled by the bioavailability of inorganic divalent mercury (Hg(II)) to anaerobic bacteria that methylate Hg(II). In sediment porewater, Hg(II) associates with sulfides and natural organic matter to form chemical species that include organic-coated mercury sulfide nanoparticles as reaction intermediates of heterogen...

Seabirds are used frequently as indicators of mercury contamination in marine ecosystems, but few studies have examined the forms of mercury found in seabird tissues. Here we compare concentrations of total and organic mercury in feathers (n=5) of six sympatric nesting seabirds and in egg components of Leach's storm-petrels from Machias Seal Island, New Brunswick, Canada, during the 2006 breedi...

Samples of fresh and fixed tissues from infants with exomphalos treated by thiomersal application were analysed for mercury content. The results showed that thiomersal can induce blood and organ levels of organic mercury which are well in excess of the minimum toxic level in adults and fetuses. The analysis of fresh and fixed tissues must be carefully controlled against normal tissues in order ...

Mercury (Hg) causes hazardous cumulative effects in humans; like central nervous system disorders,hypertension and chromosomal aberrations. Therefore, due to high toxicity and bioaccumulationfactor, mercury determination and speciation in human blood is very important. A sensitive,accurate, precise and inexpensive method was demonstrated for preconcentration and speciationof ultra-trace mercury...

This paper describes a novel approach for analysis of mercury speciation in fish using gas chromatography coupled with microwave-induced plasma optical emission spectrometry (GC-MIP-OES) in surfatron resonant cavity. Sample treatment was based on quantitative leaching of mercury species from fish tissue with ultrasound-assisted acidtoluene extraction. The extracted mercury species analyzed with...

In recent years, mercury has received increasing attention because of its known or suspected impacts on human health. Historically, this concern has resulted from occupational exposures (e.g., “Mad Hatter’s” disease), and from large-scale poisonings (Minamata and Iraq). Currently, however, concern is also focused on more subtle health effects. While use of thimerosal (an organic mercury compoun...