Atomic absorption determination of mercury in urine by cold steam method using mercury- hydride prefix

Abstract

Mercury is one of the most common in various industries and at the same time dangerous chemicals. It is able to be deposited in the body and have a toxic effect for a long time after the cessation of contact. Under the influence of mercury, workers can develop various intoxications, as a result of which pathological changes in the nervous, cardiovascular, endocrine, immune and reproductive systems are possible.Under production conditions, mercury enters the body, usually in the form of vapors (absorbed about 80%) and suspended particles. Inorganic forms of mercury are excreted mainly in the urine (60%). However, insufficient attention is currently being paid to the problem of determining the mercury content in urine samples. To date, in world practice there is no systematic approach to the determination of small doses of mercury in the body, as a result of which it is difficult to timely identify public health disorders. This is largely due to the lack of highly sensitive and highly effective methods of analysis, allowing routine measurements with minimal cost and high accuracy. The methods currently used are either quite expensive or have low accuracy/sensitivity.The aim of the study was to develop a method of atomic absorption determination of mercury in urine by cold steam, which would allow at minimal cost to increase the accuracy and sensitivity of mercury detection in the body.Materials and methods. Quantitative measurement of mercury in urine samples was carried out on an atomic absorption spectrometer with a mercury-hydride prefix using model solutions of different concentrations.Results. The study determined the optimal conditions for sample preparation of urine samples, set the range of concentrations for the construction of the calibration schedule, studied the effect of the matrix on the accuracy of the analysis by the “introduced-found” method. The lower limit of detection of the developed technique was 0.05 mcg/l, the upper limit–100 mcg/l (if necessary, it can be increased by additional dilution). The relative error of determination depending on the concentration varied from 3 to 15%.Conclusions. A highly sensitive, affordable and relatively inexpensive method for the determination of mercury in urine has been developed, which will allow to diagnose with high accuracy the background contents of mercury in urine, which is especially important when inspecting workers of industries associated with the use of mercury and its compounds, as well as the population living in areas close to these industries.