Bioassay of Mercury Vapor Arising from a Phenyl Mercury Compound.

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Abstract
Mercury vapor prevents abscission in the trifoliate leaves of Pinto beans. This is the basis of a bio-assay for Hg vapor that can be completed in 4 days, requires no special materials, is reasonably selective for Hg and is quantitative in the range from 0.06 to 0.9 mg. Hg vapor per m3 of air. The assay consists of incubating explants on water agar in an environment containing the material suspected of liberating Hg vapor. When many replicate explants are present, the percentage of abscissions of the total number possible is inversely related to the concentration of vapor. This assay together with chemical and physical measurements, was used to measure the liberation of metallic Hg vapor from paint films to which phenyl mercury compounds had been added as mildew proofing agents.

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