Method Development For The Simultaneous Determination Of Methylmercury And Inorganic Mercury In Seaf

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Within the elements that are toxic for humans and the environment, mercury is a well-known pollutant due to the high toxicity of its species. The toxicity of metals and their bioavailability depend on the chemical form of the metals. All Hg forms are toxic, with the organic species being in most cases more dangerous than the inorganic ones. Bioaccumulation occurs in most cases of human exposure. Seafood is responsible for the highest source of Hg, especially methylmercury (MeHg⁺). Thus, an accurate analytical method for Hg speciation in seafood is required to assess the real toxicity of samples [1, 2]. This work reports the method development for the simultaneous determination of methylmercury (MeHg⁺) and inorganic mercury (iHg) species in seafood samples. The study focused on the extraction and quantification of MeHg⁺ (the most toxic species) by liquid chromatography coupled to on-line UV irradiation and cold vapour atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (LC-UV-HG-AFS), using HCl 4 mol L-1 as the extractant agent.