Speciation analysis of mercury and lead in fish samples using liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Experimental design optimisation and validation by accuracy profile of a novel method for Hg speciation analysis by HPLC-ICP-MS and application to Total Diet Studies

This study addresses the development and validation of an analytical method for speciation analysis of mercury (inorganic/Hg2+ and methylmercury/CH3Hg+) in fishery products. The Hg species are separated by reversed-phase (RP) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The effective separation of Hg2+ and CH3Hg+ was achieved in <8 min using a peptide mapping RP column and a mobile phase containing 2-mercaptoethanol at 0.25% (v/v) and methanol at 1% (v/v). The optimization was carried out using an experimental design through response surface methodology (RSM) with central composite design (CCD), addressing both the HPLC separation and the sample extraction. The method validation was carried out based on the accuracy profile approach. For this purpose, six series of measurements were carried out in duplicate over a time span of 2 months. The limits of quantification (LOQ) were 2.5 µg/kg (wet weight, ww) for CH3Hg+ and 1.2 µg/kg (ww) for Hg2+. The intermediate reproducibility in terms of coefficient of variation (CVR) was <6%. The bias (%) obtained for the analysis of four certified reference materials (CRMs), namely TORT-3 (lobster hepatopancreas), SRM 1566-b (oyster tissue), SQID-1 (cuttlefish) and NMIJ CRM 7402-a (cod fish tissue) was <7%. This demonstrates the method robustness and suitability for routine speciation analysis of CH3Hg+ and Hg2+ in fishery products. The method is intended to be applied for the analysis of the panel of fishery products and fish-based foods in the framework of the (ongoing) third French Total Diet Study.

Simultaneous quantification of tin and lead species in Antarctic krill and fish by interfacing high-performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry based on strong cation-exchange and Amphion columns

Tin and lead are a global concern considering their species-dependent toxicity, bioavailability and transformation. Simultaneous speciation analysis of tin and lead is challenging for a large food capacity containing unstable species. Herein, we developed two sensitive methods for rapid quantification of tin and lead species in Antarctic seafood by high-performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry based on strong cation-exchange and Amphion columns. Inorganic tin and lead, four organotin and two organolead compounds can be analysed in 16 min on a 10-cm Amphion II column (mobile phase: 4 mM sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate at pH 2.0) with 0.02-0.24 μg L-1 detection limits. The method was applied to Antarctic krill and fish, demonstrating the presence of any tin and lead species down to μg kg-1 level. Overall, the proposed methods are sensitive, efficient and environment-friendly for routine speciation analysis of tin and lead in food samples.

Strategies for mercury speciation with single and multi-element approaches by HPLC-ICP-MS

Mercury (Hg) and its compounds are highly toxic for humans and ecosystems, and their chemical forms determine both their behavior and transportation as well as their potential toxicity for human beings. Determining the various species of an element is therefore more crucial than understanding its overall concentration in samples. For this reason, several studies focus on the development of new analytical techniques for the identification, characterization, and quantification of Hg compounds. Commercially available, hyphenated technology, such as HPLC-ICP-MS, supports the rapid growth of speciation analysis. This review aims to summarize and critically examine different approaches for the quantification of mercury species in different samples using HPLC-ICP-MS. The steps preceding the quantification of the analyte, namely sampling and pretreatment, will also be addressed. The scenarios evaluated comprehend single and multi-element speciation analysis to create a complete guide about mercury content quantification.

Simultaneous enrichment of inorganic and organic species of lead and mercury in pg L-1 levels by solid phase extraction online combined with high performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Quantification of ultra-trace inorganic and organic species of lead and mercury in unpolluted environmental water is crucial to estimate the mobility, toxicity and bioavailability and interactions. Simultaneous pre-concentration of Pb and Hg species in pg L^-1 levels followed by multi-elemental speciation analysis makes great sense to a large set of unstable samples because of time advantages. Herein simultaneous enrichment and speciation analysis of ultra-trace lead and mercury in water was developed by online solid-phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SPE-HPLC-ICP-MS) for this aim. Pb(II), trimethyl lead (TML), triethyl lead (TEL), Hg(II), methylmercury (MeHg) and ethylmercury (EtHg) were baseline separated in 11 min under gradient elution using 5 mM l-cysteine (Cys) at pH 2.5 in the 0-1 and 4-15 min and 5 mM Cys + 0.5 mM tetrabutyl ammonium hydroxide solution at pH 2.5 in the 1-4 min. Lead and mercury species in 10 mL intact water samples were adsorbed on a 1 cm C₁₈ enrichment column pre-conditioned with 10 mL of 1 mM 2-mercaptoethanol at 10 mL min^-1, and then directly desorbed by the mobile phases. High enrichment factors (459 for Pb(II), 1248 for TML, 1627 for TEL, 2485 for Hg(II), 1984 for MeHg and 1866 for EtHg) were obtained with good relative standard deviations (<5%), leading to low LODs (0.001-0.011 ng L^-1) and LOQs (0.004-0.036 ng L^-1). Good accuracy of this method was validated by two certified reference materials of total lead in water (GBW08601) and total mercury in water (GBW08603) along with spiked recoveries (89-93%). The method was applied to analyze trace lead and mercury species in river, lake, tap and rain water, and purified and mineral water. Inorganic lead of 13-68 ng L^-1 and inorganic mercury of 21-49 ng L^-1 were measured in the nine water samples whereas TML, TEL and MeHg were not detected with 2-5 ng L^-1 EtHg presented only in one river water and tap water.

Lead, Mercury and Cadmium in Fish and Shellfish from the Indian Ocean and Red Sea (African Countries): Public Health Challenges

The main aim of this review was to assess the incidence of Pb, Hg and Cd in seafood from African countries on the Indian and the Red Sea coasts and the level of their monitoring and control, where the direct consumption of seafood without quality control are frequently due to the poverty in many African countries. Some seafood from African Indian and the Red Sea coasts such as mollusks and fishes have presented Cd, Pb and Hg concentrations higher than permitted limit by FAOUN/EU regulations, indicating a possible threat to public health. Thus, the operationalization of the heavy metals (HM) monitoring and control is strongly recommended since these countries have laboratories with minimal conditions for HM analysis.

Benefit-risk assessment of commonly consumed fish species from South China Sea based on methyl mercury and DHA

Even though a growing number of reports indicated favorable health effects with fish consumption, kinds of hazardous substances in fish were detected in fish and to be exceeded advisory limitation. Benefit-risk assessment of commonly consumed fish is urgently needed. We conducted fish consumption survey and fish sampling in the coast of South China Sea to assess benefit-risk effect of commonly consumed fish species. For local residents, weekly methyl mercury (MeHg) exposures from commonly consumed fish species ranged from 0.12 to 2.11 μg/kg bw. Apart from Muraenesox cinereus and Acanthopagrus latus, the rest of 92% (23/25) fish species were at low risk of MeHg exposure. Daily docosahexaenoic acid intakes via consuming specific fish were between 42.18 and 1687.04 mg/day. A total of 72% (18/25) fish species could provide 200 mg/day of DNA for local residents. Benefit-risk assessment assuming intelligence quotient (IQ) score model showed net IQ point gains between 1.53 and 5.65 points with consuming various fish species, indicative of large distinction of health benefit from various fish species. This study suggests commonly consumed fish species from China South Sea could bring much more positive effect than negative effect. Species-specific fish should be considered when providing recommendations of fish consumption. Muraenesox cinereus and Acanthopagrus latus should be minded with risk of MeHg exposure in taking large amounts.

Silicon nanohybrid-based SERS chips armed with an internal standard for broad-range, sensitive and reproducible simultaneous quantification of lead(ii) and mercury(ii) in real systems

Lead ions (Pb²⁺) and mercury ions (Hg²⁺), the two commonly coexisting heavy metal ions, pose severe risks to environment and human health. To date, no surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor has been reported for the simultaneous quantification of Pb²⁺ and Hg²⁺ in real systems. Herein, the first demonstration of SERS chips for simultaneous quantification of Pb²⁺ and Hg²⁺ in real systems is presented based on the combination of reproducible silicon nanohybrid substrates and a corrective internal standard (IS) sensing strategy. This chip was made of a silver nanoparticle-decorated silicon wafer via modification of the IS, i.e. 4-aminothiophenol, molecules. The as-prepared chip was further functionalized with Pb²⁺- and Hg²⁺- specific DNA strands capable of simultaneously detecting Pb²⁺ and Hg²⁺. Quantitatively, upon correction by the IS Raman signals, the broad dynamic ranges from 100 pM to 10 μM for Pb²⁺ and from 1 nM to 10 μM for Hg²⁺ were achieved, with the detection limit down to 19.8 ppt for Pb²⁺ and 168 ppt for Hg²⁺. For real applications, we further demonstrated that Pb²⁺ and Hg²⁺ spiked into industrial wastewater could be readily distinguished via the presented chip, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) value was less than ∼15%. More significantly, the resulting SERS chip can be well coupled with a hand-held Raman instrument and can then be used for the qualitative analysis of both Pb²⁺ and Hg²⁺ in real systems in a portable manner. Our results suggest that this high-quality SERS chip is a powerful tool for on-site detection of various heavy metal ions in real samples in the field of food safety and environment protection.

Species characteristics of lead in sea foods collected from coastal water of Fujian, Southeastern of China

Various sea foods including fish, shellfish and shrimp were collected from different coastal areas of Fujian in China, and their Pb species characteristics were investigated in detail. The results indicated that there are two different species characteristics of Pb existing in sea food samples. About half of samples were detected to have only Pb(2+), and another half of samples were detected to have both Pb(2+) and trimethyl lead (TML). The results also revealed that Pb species characteristics in the sea foods rather depend on the species of sea food than the sampling area. In comparison with shellfish/shrimp samples, fish samples have higher concentrations of TML and Pb(2+). Especially, the average concentration of TML in the TML-detected fish samples is about 3 times of that in the TML-detected shellfish/shrimp samples, indicating that fish has stronger ability to uptake and accumulate TML. The concentrations of total lead in all samples are lower than the maximum allowable limit of national standard, suggesting that the sea foods collected from Fujian are safe for consumption. By considering that TAL has more toxicity than Pb(2+), the effect of TML in sea foods on the human health should be paid more attention in the future.

Multielemental speciation analysis by advanced hyphenated technique - HPLC/ICP-MS: A review

Speciation analysis has become an invaluable tool in human health risk assessment, environmental monitoring or food quality control. Another step is to develop reliable multielemental speciation methodologies, to reduce costs, waste and time needed for the analysis. Separation and detection of species of several elements in a single analytical run can be accomplished by high performance liquid chromatography hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC/ICP-MS). Our review assembles articles concerning multielemental speciation determination of: As, Se, Cr, Sb, I, Br, Pb, Hg, V, Mo, Te, Tl, Cd and W in environmental, biological, food and clinical samples analyzed with HPLC/ICP-MS. It addresses the procedures in terms of following issues: sample collection and pretreatment, selection of optimal conditions for elements species separation by HPLC and determination using ICP-MS as well as metrological approach. The presented work is the first review article concerning multielemental speciation analysis by advanced hyphenated technique HPLC/ICP-MS.

New procedure for multielemental speciation analysis of five toxic species: As(III), As(V), Cr(VI), Sb(III) and Sb(V) in drinking water samples by advanced hyphenated technique HPLC/ICP-DRC-MS

Analytical procedure dedicated for multielemental determination of toxic species: As(III), As(V), Cr(VI), Sb(III) and Sb(V) in drinking water samples using high performance liquid chromatography hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC/ICP-DRC-MS) technique was developed. Optimization of the detection and separation conditions was conducted. Dynamic reaction cell (DRC) with oxygen as a reaction gas was involved in the experiments. Obtained analytical signals for species separation were symmetrical, as studied by anion-exchange chromatography. Applied mobile phase consisted of 3 mM of EDTANa2 and 36 mM of ammonium nitrate. Full separation of species in the form of the following forms: H3AsO3, H2AsO4(-), SbO2(-), Sb(OH)6(-), CrO4(2-) was achieved in 15 min with use of gradient elution program. Detailed validation of analytical procedure proved the reliability of analytical measurements. The procedure was characterized by high precision in the range from 1.7% to 2.4%. Detection limits (LD) were 0.067 μg L(-1), 0.068 μg L(-1), 0.098 μg L(-1), 0.083 μg L(-1) and 0.038 μg L(-1) for As(III), As(V), Cr(VI), Sb(III) and Sb(V), respectively. Obtained recoveries confirmed the lack of interferences' influence on analytical signals as their values were in the range of 91%-110%. The applicability of the proposed procedure was tested on drinking water samples characterized by mineralization up to 650 mg L(-1).

Label-free detection of Cu(2+) and Hg(2+) ions using reconstructed Cu(2+)-specific DNAzyme and G-quadruplex DNAzyme

Label-free metal ion detection methods were developed. To achieve these, a reconstructed Cu(2+)-specific DNA-cleaving DNAzyme (Cu(2+)-specific DNAzyme) with an intramolecular stem-loop structure was used. G-quadruplex-forming G-rich sequence(s), linked at the ends of double-helix stem of an intramolecular stem-loop structure, was partly caged in an intramolecular duplex or formed a split G-quadruplex. Cu(2+)-triggered DNA cleavage at a specific site decreased the stability of the double-helix stem, resulting in the formation or destruction of G-quadruplex DNAzyme that can effectively catalyze the 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS)-H2O2 reaction. Based on these, two label-free, cost-effective and simple Cu(2+) sensors were designed. These two sensors followed different detection modes: 'turn-on' and 'turn-off'. As for the 'turn-on' sensor, the intramolecular stem-loop structure ensured a low background signal, and the co-amplification of detection signal by dual DNAzymes (Cu(2+)-specific DNAzyme and G-quadruplex DNAzyme) provided a high sensitivity. This sensor enabled the selective detection of aqueous Cu(2+) with a detection limit of 3.9 nM. Visual detection was possible. Although the 'turn-off' sensor gave lower detection sensitivity than the 'turn-on' one, the characteristics of cost-effectiveness and ease of operation made it an important implement to reduce the possibility of pseudo-positive or pseudo-negative results. Combining the ability of Hg(2+) ion to stabilize T-T base mismatch, above dual DNAzymes-based strategy was further used for Hg(2+) sensor design. The proposed sensor allowed the specific detection of Hg(2+) ion with a detection of 4.8 nM. Visual detection was also possible.

Extreme precipitation appears a key driver of mercury transport from the watershed to Cottage Grove Reservoir, Oregon

An abandoned cinnabar mining and roasting site is in the major sub-basin of the watershed for Cottage Grove Reservoir, Oregon. Average surface sediment total mercury concentration in the river draining this sub-basin (0.61 ± 0.52 μg/g) was about ten-fold higher than three smaller tributaries to the reservoir. Total mercury in reservoir surface sediments averaged 1.66 ± 0.70 μg/g. Stratigraphy for two sediment cores indicated generally decreased reservoir mercury loading from 1963 to 2002 but two pronounced peaks in mercury deposition. Years of extreme precipitation immediately prior to these peaks at least partially explained them. Epaxial muscle total mercury concentrations of largemouth bass increased with body weight up to 2.5 μg/g. A gradient of mercury concentrations in soils from a 3.3 km diameter grid indicated condensation of mercury vapors from the mine site polluted the sub-basin.

Detailed assessment of the kinetics of Hg-cell association, Hg methylation, and methylmercury degradation in several Desulfovibrio species

The kinetics of inorganic Hg [Hg(II)(i)] association, methylation, and methylmercury (MeHg) demethylation were examined for a group of Desulfovibrio species with and without MeHg production capability. We employed a detailed method for assessing MeHg production in cultures, including careful control of medium chemistry, cell density, and growth phase, plus mass balance of Hg(II)(i) and MeHg during the assays. We tested the hypothesis that differences in Hg(II)(i) sorption and/or uptake rates drive observed differences in methylation rates among Desulfovibrio species. Hg(II)(i) associated rapidly and with high affinity to both methylating and nonmethylating species. MeHg production by Hg-methylating strains was rapid, plateauing after ∼3 h. All MeHg produced was rapidly exported. We also tested the idea that all Desulfovibrio species are capable of Hg(II)(i) methylation but that rapid demethylation masks its production, but we found this was not the case. Therefore, the underlying reason why MeHg production capability is not universal in the Desulfovibrio is not differences in Hg affinity for cells nor differences in the ability of strains to degrade MeHg. However, Hg methylation rates varied substantially between Hg-methylating Desulfovibrio species even in these controlled experiments and after normalization to cell density. Thus, biological differences may drive cross-species differences in Hg methylation rates. As part of this study, we identified four new Hg methylators (Desulfovibrio aespoeensis, D. alkalitolerans, D. psychrotolerans, and D. sulfodismutans) and four nonmethylating species (Desulfovibrio alcoholivorans, D. tunisiensis, D. carbinoliphilus, and D. piger) in our ongoing effort to generate a library of strains for Hg methylation genomics.

Sensitive dual DNAzymes-based sensors designed by grafting self-blocked G-quadruplex DNAzymes to the substrates of metal ion-triggered DNA/RNA-cleaving DNAzymes

A universal label-free metal ion sensor design strategy was developed on the basis of a metal ion-specific DNA/RNA-cleaving DNAzyme and a G-quadruplex DNAzyme. In this strategy, the substrate strand of the DNA/RNA-cleaving DNAzyme was designed as an intramolecular stem-loop structure, and a G-rich sequence was caged in the double-stranded stem and could not form catalytically active G-quadruplex DNAzyme. The metal ion-triggered cleavage of the substrate strand could result in the release of the G-rich sequence and subsequent formation of a catalytic G-quadruplex DNAzyme. The self-blocking mechanism of the G-quadruplex DNAzyme provided the sensing system with a low background signal. The signal amplifications of both the DNA/RNA-cleaving DNAzyme and the G-quadruplex DNAzyme provided the sensing system with a high level of sensitivity. This sensor design strategy can be used for metal ions with reported specific DNA/RNA-cleaving DNAzymes and extended for metal ions with unique properties. As examples, dual DNAzymes-based Cu(2+), Pb(2+) and Hg(2+) sensors were designed. These "turn-on" colorimetric sensors can simply detect Cu(2+), Pb(2+) and Hg(2+) with high levels of sensitivity and selectivity, with detection limits of 4 nM, 14 nM and 4 nM, respectively.

Determination of trace mercury species by high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after cloud point extraction

A sensitive method for speciation analysis of inorganic mercury (Hg(2+)) and methyl mercury (MeHg(+)) has been developed by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after cloud point extraction. The analytes were complexed with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) and preconcentrated by a non-ionic surfactant Triton X-114. Mercury species were effectively separated by HPLC in less than 6 min. The enhancement factors for 25 mL sample solution were 42 and 21, and the limits of detection were 4 and 10 ng L(-1) for Hg(2+) and MeHg(+), respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of trace amount of mercury species in environmental and biological samples.

Speciation analysis of mercury in cereals by liquid chromatography chemical vapor generation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

A simple and rapid procedure for the separation and determination of inorganic, methyl, and ethyl mercury compounds was described using liquid chromatography (LC) followed by vapor generation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (VG-ICP-MS). Well resolved chromatograms were obtained within 5 min by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with a C8 column as the stationary phase and a pH 4.7 solution containing 0.5% v/v 2-mercaptoethanol and 5% v/v methanol as the mobile phase. The separated mercury compounds were converted to mercury vapors by an in situ nebulizer/vapor generation system for their introduction into ICP. The concentrations of NaBH4 and HNO3 required for vapor generation were also optimized. The method was applied for the speciation of mercury in reference materials NIST SRM 1568a Rice Flour and NIST SRM 1567a Wheat Flour and also rice flour and wheat flour samples purchased locally. The accuracy of the procedure was verified by analyzing the certified reference material NRCC DOLT-3 Dogfish Liver for methyl mercury. Precision between sample replicates was better than 13% for all the determinations. The detection limits of the mercury compounds studied were in the range 0.003-0.006 ng Hg mL(-1) in the injected solutions, which correspond to 0.02-0.06 ng g(-1) in original flour samples. A microwave-assisted extraction procedure was adopted for the extraction of mercury compounds from rice flour, wheat flour, and fish samples using a mobile phase solution.