Rapid Determination of Mercury in Urine by Flameless Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

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Abstract
[The recent emphasis on the potential dangers of Hg in food products and the environment has stimulated the development of analytical methods and techniques for the determination of Hg in urine.] A procedure for the rapid determination of submicrogram quantities of Hg in human urine is described. The procedure is based on an efficient acid pressure decomposition step followed by flameless atomic absorption determination of total Hg, thus minimizing sample handling. This decomposition technique ensures quantitative conversion of organo-Hg compounds to ionic Hg. Average recoveries of Hg in spiked samples using inorganic and organic Hg compounds amounted to 94.6%. As little as 1 ppb Hg (ng/ml) in urine can be determined satisfactorily by this method.