What is Mercury Speciation Analysis?
Mercury speciation analysis is an analytical process that separates and measures different types of mercury in a sample.
Quicksilver Scientific uses patented, exclusively licensed technology to remove mercury from a sample, separate the mercury species, and analyze them. The process is automated and scaleable, making it easy to process large quantities of samples.
Quicksilver Scientific speciation system determines biologically available mercury, primarily methylmercury and inorganic mercury. However, Quicksilver’s patented methods can be expanded to include rare forms of mercury (ethylmercury and propylmercury), which may be important in some samples.
Methylmercury
Found in fish and other animal tissues, methylmercury, also called monomethylmercury, is the most well-known type of mercury. Methylmercury is mobile and easily absorbed but is not easily removed from the body. Instead, methylmercury accumulates in tissues. As one animal eats prey, it absorbs the prey’s methylmercury. So animals higher on the food chain tend to have more methylmercury in their tissues than animals lower on the food chain. This process, called bioaccumulation, can lead to fish having over 1 million times higher methylmercury concentrations than the water they swim in.
Inorganic Mercury
Inorganic mercury is the term used to refer to mercuric ion (HgII). Inorganic mercury is highly toxic but is not very mobile. Inorganic mercury in sediments, soils, and food sources does not pass easily into tissues. However, once inside of a tissue, inorganic mercury cannot easily move out. Inorganic mercury accumulates in tissues when a more mobile type of mercury, such as elemental mercury vapor or ethylmercury, enter into a tissue and breakdown into inorganic mercury. In tissues, most organic forms of mercury will eventually breakdown into inorganic mercury.
Ethylmercury
Like methylmercury, ethylmercury is an organic form of mercury. Ethylmercury can be present in sediments or petroleum hydrocarbons. Ethylmercury is also well known as a component of some vaccine preservatives. Like methylmercury, ethylmercury can move easily into and between tissues. However, ethylmercury tends to break down into inorganic mercury more rapidly than methylmercury breaks down.
To date, Quicksilver Scientific is the only commercial analysis company whose laboratory has the capability to directly analyze ethylmercury, methylmercury, and inorganic mercury in one simultaneous procedure at environmentally and biologically relevant amounts.
Why Mercury Speciation Analysis?
By knowing the proportions of mercury in a sample, researchers, physicians, and others can better understand the risk and toxic effects on the body.