Mercury determination in muscle tissue of fish samples using microwave digestion and CVAAS analysis

Abstract

In this study, the mercury (Hg) levels in muscle tissue of 19 different fish species were determined. The fish samples were collected from the Sakarya River, Sakarya Cark Stream, Sapanca Lake and the Western Black Sea, solubilized in a microwave digestion system and analyzed by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS). The accuracy of the method was validated with certified reference material DORM-3 Fish Protein. Various analytical parameters were optimized. The relative standard deviation was found to be below 10%. The Hg levels ranged from 0.046 ± 0.07 ?g g-1 to 0.755 ± 0.02 ?g g-1. The Hg recoveries for the external calibration standards and the known amounts of mercury added to the fish samples indicated minimal or no loss of Hg during microwave digestion.