AAS DETERMINATION OF TOTAL MERCURY CONTENT IN ENVIRONMENTAL-SAMPLES

Two methods for the determination of total mercury content in environm ental samples, soils and sediments, were compared. Dissolution procedu re of soils, sediments, and biological material under elevated pressur e followed by determination of mercury by cold vapour atomic absorptio n spectrometry using a MHS-1 system and direct total mercury determina tion without any chemical pretreatment from solid samples using a Trac e Mercury Analyzer TMA-254 were compared. TMA-254 was also applied for the determination of mercury in various further standard reference ma terials. Good agreement with certified values of environmental referen ce materials was obtained.