Teledyne Leeman Labs Blog

Teledyne Leeman Labs offers multiple mercury (Hg) analyzers which can determine total mercury concentrations in samples at the ultra-trace level. The final installment of this three-part blog series will be an introduction to the QuickTrace line of mercury analyzers: the QuickTrace M-7600 and the QuickTrace M-8000.

In Part 1 of this series, sample collection, container types, and preservation techniques for low-level total mercury (Hg) analysis were discussed. In Part 2, I will highlight contamination sources from chemicals and the potential for analyte loss associated with digestion protocols.

Mercury (Hg) determination at the ultra-trace level is an essential part of environmental assessment and drinking water monitoring. But this type of analysis comes with distinct challenges.

The gold standard. Go for the gold. A gold medal.

Gold is highly prized for its beauty, as a measure of wealth, a jewelry mainstay and more. When it comes to the analysis of mercury, gold has a very particular value in obtaining data at the ultra-trace level.

Trace elemental analysis

Teledyne Leeman Labs has specialized in trace elemental analysis for over 40 years. With initial success in Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES), also referred to as Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), Teledyne Leeman Labs went on to develop innovative product lines. Those included branching out into various elemental analysis techniques, including DC Arc and Mercury Analysis. Our elemental analysis instruments can be found in laboratories across the world, providing service to a range of industries. From agriculture to aerospace and food to forensics, Teledyne Leeman Labs is dedicated to providing world-class instruments for trace elemental analysis.

Figure 1: Atomic Spectra for mercury (Hg), Copyright © Richard Pogge, All Rights Reserved

Atomic absorption spectroscopy

Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) is one of the first commercially available elemental analysis techniques. This tried-and-true method remains a top choice for its simplicity and reliability.

The proliferation of mercury in fish is a well-documented environmental problem. Mercury accumulates in fish tissue from natural and anthropogenic source in bodies of water where the fish live. The microorganisms at the base of the aquatic food change convert the elemental mercury into organic methylmercury, which binds tightly to the proteins in fish tissue.

An abandoned ammo factory in Kings Mill, Ohio is on the EPA list as one of the most contaminated sites in the country. The site, once home to the Peter’s Cartridge Company, could be the new home to luxury apartments and commercial office space overseeing the Little Miami River. The $25 million plan, which includes 120-130 apartments and 23,000 square feet of commercial space, is dependent on whether the site can be remediated from the mercury, copper and lead that has contaminated the soil for more than a century.

Soil and dust in homes often become the primary resting places for environmental toxins such as metals and metalloids that come from vehicle traffic and a variety of industrial sources. Residents within urban settings have a higher rate of exposure to contaminated dust from inhalation, ingestion and dermal contact. As a result, dust ingestion is often regarded as the primary source of low-dose mercury in urban children who spend much of their time indoors.

Since the 1970s, scientists have analyzed lake sediment and ice cores to understand the levels of historical atmospheric mercury emissions from metal production and industrial activity. Much of the published ice core mercury record has come from a glacier in Wyoming.  While the record has been cited extensively in scientific literature, many modern day scientist argue that it does not truly represent the global trends in atmospheric mercury levels.

The Animas River is a 125-mile river in the western United States that feeds the Colorado River. On August 5, 2015, a crew from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was pumping out water from the abandoned Gold King Mine in Southern Colorado when heavy equipment used by the workers caused a leak.