Determination of methylmercury in marine fish from coastal areas of Zhejiang, China

Abstract

The concentration of methylmercury (MMC) and total mercury (TMC) in marine fishes (five species) frequently consumed in the coastal areas of Zhejiang province, China, was determined. The method of high-performance liquid chromatography–atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HPLC-AFS) with the microwave-assisted extraction was used for the MMC determination. TMC was analysed by a direct mercury analyser. MMC and TMC concentrations in five fish species ranged from 53 to 158 µg kg⁻¹ and 60 to 172 µg kg⁻¹, respectively. The proportion of MMC levels in TMC was greater than 80%. The highest MMC and TMC levels were found in Hairtail.

Keywords:

• methylmercury
• total mercury
• HPLC-AFS
• marine fish

Acknowledgement

This project was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China. We are thankful to the Institute of Nutrition and Food Security, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, for technical advice.