Development of an enzymatic digestion method for the quantification of mercury species in biota and fish
- The toxicity and transport mechanisms of mercury and its species in the environment are dependent on the chemical form. Here, the knowledge of the species analysis of organic and inorganic mercury compounds is of interest. Only measuring the total mercury content gives just
a little information about the potential risk to human beings and the health of biota and fish respectively. In comparison methyl mercury is the more toxic species than the inorganic form due to its solubility in lipids and it binds strongly to bio ligands like sulfur containing amino acids bound in proteins. This could affect the functionality of enzymes. A variety of analytical methods have been used for the measurement of mercury species like liquid and gas chromatographic separation and the detection by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and common electron impact mass spectrometry.