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Updated: Jun 5, 2026
09:33
An Anaerobic Biosensor Assay for the Detection of Mercury and Cadmium
Published on: December 17, 2018
Rapid methods to detect organic mercury and total selenium in biological samples
1Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA. niladri@umich.edu.
Chemistry Central Journal
|January 15, 2011
Summary
New micro-scale methods rapidly detect organic mercury and total selenium in biological samples. These cost-effective techniques improve understanding of mercury
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
- Toxicology
Background:
- Organic mercury (Hg) is a significant global pollutant.
- Selenium (Se) is thought to mitigate mercury toxicity.
- Limited rapid assessment methods exist for organic Hg and Se in biological tissues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop micro-scale and rapid analytical methods for organic mercury and total selenium.
- To enable efficient assessment of both elements in biological samples.
Main Methods:
- Organic Hg detection involves sample digestion, extraction, and analysis using mercury analyzers.
- Total selenium determination utilizes a fluorometric assay with microplate readers, including digestion and extraction steps.
- Methods are optimized for small sample volumes (organic Hg < 1.5 ml, Se < 3.0 ml) and short analysis times (organic Hg < 1.5 hours, Se < 3 hours).
Main Results:
- High recovery rates were achieved for organic Hg (86-107%) and Se (85-121%) using Standard Reference Materials and shark kidney tissues.
- The developed methods are micro-scale, rapid, reproducible, and cost-effective.
Conclusions:
- The outlined methods offer a practical platform for monitoring organic Hg and total Se in biological samples.
- Integrating these methods can enhance the understanding of mercury's true risks by considering selenium's protective role.
- These approaches are valuable for research monitoring efforts beyond total mercury screening.
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