An Analytical Method for the Biomonitoring of Mercury in Bees and Beehive Products by Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry

Bees and their products are useful bioindicators of anthropogenic activities and could overcome the deficiencies of air quality networks. Among the environmental contaminants, mercury (Hg) is a toxic metal that can accumulate in living organisms. The first aim of this study was to develop a simple analytical method to determine Hg in small mass samples of bees and beehive products by cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The proposed method was optimized for about 0.02 g bee, pollen, propolis, and royal jelly, 0.05 g beeswax and honey, or 0.1 g honeydew with 0.5 mL HCl, 0.2 mL HNO3, and 0.1 mL H2O2 in a water bath (95 °C, 30 min); samples were made up to a final volume of 5 mL deionized water. The method limits sample manipulation and the reagent mixture volume used. Detection limits were lower than 3 µg kg−1 for a sample mass of 0.02 g, and recoveries and precision were within 20% of the expected value and less than 10%, respectively, for many matrices. The second aim of the present study was to evaluate the proposed method’s performances on real samples collected in six areas of the Lazio region in Italy.

Analisis Kadar Merkuri, Derajat Keasaman dan Faktor Risiko Kesehatan Pada Penambang Emas Tanpa Izin di Kecamatan Cempaka

Cempaka District is the largest traditional gold mining site in South Kalimantan Province. The purpose of this study was to identify levels of mercury (Hg), degree of acidity (pH) and health risk factors (age, years of service and completeness of PPE) in PETI workers in Cempaka District. The method used in this research is an observational method which is quantitative in nature with a cross-pontong approach, with a proportional difference test method. Sampling was carried out in the upstream and downstream areas. Measurement of water mercury levels was measured by means of Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (CV-AAS) at the Industrial Research and Standardization Center (BARISTAND) in Banjarbaru City. As for the health risk factor variables using the method of observation and interviews with a questionnaire. The research sample was 40 active PETI workers. The results showed that the quality of water with mercury content exceeds the threshold, for the parameter of acidity (pH) within the norm limit of 6-9. Meanwhile, for health risk factors, PETI workers are mostly old, have worked ≥ 5 years and do not completely use PPE. Suggestions are to pay attention not to dispose of waste mercury (Hg) content into rivers. Keywords : Mercury levels ( Hg ); degrees acidity ( pH ); health risk factors; the workers Abstrak Kecamatan Cempaka merupakan tempat penambangan emas tradisional yang terbesar di Provinsi Kalimantan Selatan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi besar kadar merkuri (Hg), derajat keasaman (pH) dan faktor risiko kesehatan (Umur, masa kerja dan kelengkapan APD) pada pekerja PETI di Kecamatan Cempaka. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini yaitu metode observasional yang bersifat kuantitatif dengan pendekatan potong lintang, dengan metode uji-beda proporsi. Pengambilan sampel dilakukan pada daerah hulu dan hilir. Pengukuran kadar merkuri air diukur dengan alat Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (CV-AAS) di Balai Riset dan Standarisasi Industri (BARISTAND) di Kota Banjarbaru. Sedangkan untuk variabel faktor risiko kesehatan menggunakan metode pengamatan dan wawancara dengan kuosioner. Sampel penelitian adalah pekerja PETI yang aktif sebanyak 40 responden. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan kualitas air dengan kandungan kadar merkuri melebihi ambang batas, untuk parameter derajat keasaman (pH) dalam batas norma sebesar 6-9. Sedangkan untuk faktor risiko kesehatan, pekerja PETI lebih banyak berumur tua , masa kerja ≥ 5 tahun dan tidak lengkap menggunakan APD. Saran untuk memperhatikan untuk tidak membuang limbah kandungan kadar merkuri (Hg) ke aliran sungai. Kata kunci : Kadar Merkuri (Hg); Derajat Keasaman (pH); Faktor Risiko kesehatan; Pekerja PETI

Simple and fast determination of thimerosal in vaccines using dilute acids and cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry (CV AFS)

A simple and fast method was developed for the determination of thimerosal (TH) in vaccines based on decomposition through the action of oxidizing systems of the organic mercury compound to...

Rtęć w próbkach mieszanin gazowych – przegląd metod pobierania i oznaczania rtęci

The determination of the composition of gas mixtures, especially those analytes which exist, for example, as contaminants for the main components of the gas mixture, very often requires the concentration of the analyte so that it can be quantified. The analysis of gaseous environmental samples, including air and air samples at workplaces, is difficult, which results from: the need to work with samples with an extensive matrix and heterogeneous distribution of pollutants, the stability of the analyte and the presence of interfering substances (interferents) in the sample. On the other hand, the analysis of trace components of gaseous fuels is difficult due to the need to collect a suitably concentrated sample so that these components can be quantified. This article provides an overview and analysis of the methods used for the collection and determination of mercury in gas mixtures. Currently, there are standardized mercury collection and determination methodologies dedicated to matrices such as air, workplace air, waste gases or natural gas. These are both manual and fully automated methods. Most of the methods described in the literature on the subject consist of two stages, i.e. the stage of collecting a sample for a solid or liquid sorbent and the stage of desorption and determination of the mercury content in the collected sample using methods dedicated to the analysis of this element. The most frequently used methods for collecting mercury samples in gas mixtures are: the gold amalgamation method and the sorption methods on powder sorbents (such as activated carbon, hopcalite, impregnated silica gel), glass fibers, impregnated cellulose filters and liquid sorbents (such as e.g. acids). The methods of sample desorption are varied and depend on the material on which the analyte has been absorbed and the selected mercury determination method. Three methods are mainly used to analyze samples for mercury content, i.e. the cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry method (CV-AAS), the cold vapor fluorescence atomic spectrometry method (CV-AFS) and the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method (ICP-MS). However, it should be kept in mind that although the methods available and used for the analysis of mercury content in gas are standardized, they are not resistant to the presence of hydrocarbons and hydrogen sulphide in the tested samples. These are the compounds that are most often mentioned as substances interfering in the determination of mercury in gases using the above-mentioned methods.