Organomercury compounds blood

Adverse effects of organomercury compounds to selected species of mammals have been recorded at administered doses of 0.25 mg Hg/kg body weight daily, dietary levels of 1.1 mg/kg, and blood Hg levels of 1.2 mg/L (Table 5.10). 

The mode of sample pretreatment depends on the analytical method used. If a mineralization of the specimen is required, the high volatility of mercury must always be kept in mind. If necessary, acid digestion at elevated temperatures should only be performed in sealed vessels (e.g., Teflon-or quartz-lined pressure bombs) and never in open vials. A digestion of blood or tissues with hydrochloric acid at room temperature for 15 hr extracts all mercury species sufficiently from the matrix. The supernatant is, for example, suitable for the flow injection technique of cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS) [111]. Furthermore, this cold digestion does not destroy organomercury compounds. Therefore the supernatant is suitable for a speciation [110]. 

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