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Certified reference materials for mercury in biological materials
Monomethylmercury compounds are of great concern, as these highly toxic compounds are formed biotically by microorganisms in sediment and algae in sea water and/or abiotically. Once it is formed, methylmercury is bioaccumulated and biomagnified in the aquatic food chains, thus resulting in exposure levels among fish-eating populations, often at levels exceeding what is regarded as a safe level. Ethylmercury has been of interest due to exposure from thimerosal (sodium ethylmercurithiosalicylate) which had been added (0.003–0.01%) to several vaccines for preservative and antimicrobial purposes and is being studied in the proposed link between autism and Hg exposure.
It is therefore of primary interest to have samples of human biological materials for monitoring the exposure.
The main issues to be controlled during the analysis of biological tissues for the speciation analysis of mercury are:
- quantitativeness of extraction of the species from the tissue
- absence of artificial formation of methylmercury during the analytical procedure
- control of contamination mainly for inorganic mercury
- control of the derivatization yield
- avoidance of ion-exchange and adsorption problems on GC column packing materials
CRMs play a major role in the development and validation of
methods and for quality control. The following certified reference
materials (CRMs) are available for the speciation of mercury species in body fluids and tissues:
Supplier
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Name
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Material
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Certificate
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IAEA
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IAEA 085
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Human hair
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methylmercury, total Hg, Fe, Zn
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| IAEA |
IAEA 086
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Human hair
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methylmercury, total Hg, Fe, Zn |
Immuno
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Whole blood
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NIES
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CRM-13
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Human hair
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methylmercury, total Hg, Cd, Cu, Pb, Sb, Se and Zn
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NIST
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SRM 966
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Bovine blood
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Cd, Pb, Total mercury, inorganic mercury, methylmercury
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NIST
| SRM 955c, level 3
| Caprine blood
| Cd, Pb, As, total mercury, inorganic mercury, ethylmercury, methylmercury
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* () =information value only, []= original certification no longer valid
NB:! click on the material name for a link to EVISA's material database giving information on the certificate  Related EVISA Resources Material Database: Materials related to mercury speciation Material Database: Mercury in sediments Material Database: Mercury in soils Material Database: Mercury standards Material Database: Mercury Isotopic Materials Link Page: All about CRMs Brief summary: Certified reference materials for mercury in marine animal tissues Brief summary: Certified reference materials for mercury in biological materials Brief summary: Certified Reference Materials for Speciation Analysis
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