Browse > Article

The Study on the Methylmercury Analysis and the Monitoring of Total Mercury and Methylmercury in Fish  

Kim, Hee-Yun (Testing and Analysis Team, Gyeongin Regional KFDA)
Chung, So-Young (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, KFDA)
Sho, You-Sub (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, KFDA)
Oh, Geum-Soon (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, KFDA)
Park, Seong-Soo (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, KFDA)
Suh, Jung-Hyuk (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, KFDA)
Lee, Eun-Ju (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, KFDA)
Lee, Yoon-Dong (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, KFDA)
Choi, Woo-Jeong (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, KFDA)
Eom, Ji-Yoon (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, KFDA)
Song, Min-Soo (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, KFDA)
Lee, Jong-Ok (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, KFDA)
Woo, Gun-Jo (Department of Food Safety Evaluation, KFDA)
Publication Information
Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology / v.37, no.6, 2005 , pp. 882-888 More about this Journal
Abstract
Procedure for analysis of methylmercury in fish was developed, involving addition of HCl, extraction with toluene, and clean-up using L-cystein solution. Obtained extract is analyzed by gas chromatography with electron capture detector using Ulbon HR-Thermon-Hg column. Detection limit and recovery of the method were 0.005mg/kg (expressed as Hg), 98-107 (103%), respectively. Total mercury and methylmercury concentrations in 175 commercial fish samples ranged from [mean-max (mean), unit: mg/kg]: 0.014-1.200 (0.270) and 0.006-0.901 (0.168) in tuna-fish, 0.020-0.934 (0.323) and 0.012-0.553 (0.149) in martin-fish, 0.082-0.782 (0.391) and 0.040-0.436(0.201) in shark, 0,023-0.031 (0.026) and 0,013-0.018 (0.015) in salmon, 0.098-0.193 (0.133) and 0.031-0.015(0.090) in tilefish, and 0,031-0.214 (0.089) and 0.016-0.093 (0.042) in canned tuna respectively. No sample of analyzed fish exceeded 1.0mg/kg wet wt., limit for methylmercury established by Codex. In all species examined, estimated weekly intake was lower than Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake recommended by the JECFA (the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives).
Keywords
methylmercury; tuna-fish; marlin-fish; shark; canned tuna; gas chromatography;
Citations & Related Records
연도 인용수 순위
  • Reference
1 The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. The Report of survey for mercury in fishes. Available from: http://www.maff.go.jp/fisheat/press040817.htm. Accessed Mar. 27, 2004 (2003)
2 Cai Y, Monsalud S, Furton K, Jaffe R, Jones R. Determination of methylmercury in fish and aqueous samples using solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Appl. Organometallic Chem. 12: 565-569 (1998)   DOI   ScienceOn
3 Carro-Diaz A, Lorenzo-Ferreia L, Cela-Torrijos C. Speciation of organomercurials in biological and environmental samples by gas chromatography with microwave-induced plasma atomic emission detection. J. Chromatogra. 683: 245-252 (1994)   DOI   ScienceOn
4 Horvat M, Bloom N, Liang L. Comparison of distillation with other current isolation methods for the determination of methylmercury compounds in low level environmental samples. Part I. Sediments. Anal. Chimi. Acta 281: 135-152 (1993)   DOI   ScienceOn
5 AOAC. Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC. 16th ed. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Washington, DC, USA (1995)
6 Ministry of Health and Welfare. Report on 2002 National Health and Nutrition Survey I. Ministry of Health and Welfare, Seoul, Korea (2003)
7 Storelli M, Stuffler R, Marcotrigiano G. Total and methylmercury residues in tuna-fish from the Mediterranean sea. Food Addit. Contam. 19: 715-720 (2002)   DOI   ScienceOn
8 The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. The Report of survey for mercury in fishes. Available from: http://www.maff.go.jp/fisheat/press040817.htm. Accessed Mar. 8, 2004
9 Knowles T, Farrington D, Kestin S. Mercury in UK imported fish and shellfish and UK-farmed fish and their products. Food Addit. Contam. 20: 813-818 (2003)   DOI   ScienceOn
10 Dabeka R, McKenzie A, Forsyth D, Conacher H. Survey of total mercury in some edible fish and shellfish species collected in Canada in 2002. Food Addit. Contam. 21: 434-440 (2004)   DOI   ScienceOn
11 Haracuchi K, Endo T, Sakata M, Masuda Y, Simmonds M. Contamination survey of heavy metals and organochlorine compounds in cetacean products purchased in Japan. J. Food Hyg. Soc. Jpn. 41: 287-296 (2000)   DOI   ScienceOn
12 Food code. Korea Food Industry Association. Namhyung-Munhwa, Seoul, Korea. pp. 47 (2004)
13 Fillippelli M, Baldi F, Brinckman F, Olson G. Methylmercury determination as volatile methylmercury hydride by purge and trap gas chromatography in line with fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Environ. Sci. Technol. 26: 1457-1460 (1992)   DOI
14 Hight S, Corcoran M. Rapid determination of methylmercury in fish and shellfish: method development. J. Assoc. Off. Anal. Chem. 70: 24-30 (1987)   PUBMED
15 Puk R, Weber J. Determination of mercury(II), monomethylmercury cation, dimethylmercury and diethylmercury by hydride generation, cryogenic trapping and atomic absorption spectrometric detection. Anal. Chimi. Acta 292: 175-183 (1994)   DOI   ScienceOn
16 Craig P, George E, Jenkins R. Organometallic compounds in the environment. John Wiley&Sons Ltd., pp. 32-38 (2003)
17 Food and Drug Administration. Fish, shellfish, crustaceans and other aquatic animals-fresh, frozen or processed-methyl mercury (CPG 7108.07). Available from: http://www.fda.gov/ora/complience_ref/cpg/cpgfod/cpg540-600.html. Accessed Mar. 7, 2004
18 Japanese Society of Food Sanitation. Standard Method of Analysis in Food safety Regulation. pp. 2270-2271 (2003)
19 Silbergeld E, Devine P. Mercury-are we studying the right endpoints and mechanisms. Fuel Proc. Technol. 65-66: 35-42 (2000)
20 Food and Drug Administration. Mercury in Fish : FDA Monitoring Program (1990-2003). Available from: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/seamehg2.html, Accessed Mar. 8, 2004
21 Storelli M, Ceci E, Storelli A, Marcotrigiano G. Polychlorinated biphenyl, heavy metal and methylmercury residues in hammerhead sharks: contaminant status and assessment. Marine Poll. Bull. 46: 1035-1048 (2003)   DOI   ScienceOn
22 CAC (Codex Alimentarius Commission). Guideline Levels for Methylmercury in Fish. CAC/GL 7-1991 FAO Rome, Italy (1991)
23 Uthe J, Solomon J, Grift B. Rapid semimicro method for the determination of methylmercury in fish tissue. J. Assoc. Off. Anal. Chem. 55: 583-589 (1972)   PUBMED
24 Food and Drug Administration. Mercury levels in seafood species. Available from: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html. Accessed Mar. 22, 2004
25 Myers G, Davidson P, Cox C, Shamlaye C, Palumbo D, Cernichiari E, Sloane-Reeves J, Wilding G, Kost J, Huang L, Clarkson T. Prenatal methylmercury exposure from ocean fish consumption in the Seychelles child development study. Lancet 36: 1686-1692 (2003)
26 Commission Regulation(EC) No 466/2001 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuff. Official Journal of the European Communities. Available from: http://europa.eu.int/eurlex/pri/en/oj/dat/2002/1_037/1_03720020207en00040006.pdf. Accessed Feb. 2, 2004
27 The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. Estimation of daily intake of mercury and methylmercury from tuna. Available from: http://www.mhlw.go.jp/shingi/2003/06/s0603-4d.html. Accessed Mar. 4, 2003
28 Harada M. Minamata disease: methylmercury poisoning in Japan caused by environmental pollution, Crit. Rev. Toxicol. 25: 1-24 (1995)   DOI   PUBMED   ScienceOn
29 The Food Standards Agency (UK). Mercury in imported fish and shellfish, UK farmed fish and their products. Available from: http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fsis40_2003.pdf. Accessed Mar. 14, 2004