MERSEL FISH: Development and validation of a new analytical approach for the simultaneous speciation analysis of mercury and selenium by HPLC ICP MS

Mendes Ribeiro, Mariana; Leufroy, Axelle; Danion, Morgane; Castanheira, Isabel; Silva, José Armando; Jitaru, Petru

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/7403

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Authors

Mendes Ribeiro, Mariana

Abstract(s)

Mercury (Hg) is one of the most hazardous chemicals to the environment and the most worrisome contaminant for public health. This is due to its extreme toxicity, particularly in the methylated form which is biomagnified in the food chain, the main pathway of contamination of the humans. The great ability of CH3Hg+ to be bioaccumulated in the aquatic food chain leads to considerably elevated levels of Hg in aquatic organisms, despite nearly immeasurable quantities in the water column. No maximum level for CH3Hg+ is yet regulated by the European commission (EC) in fishery products, despite its extreme toxicity. This is most likely arising from the difficulty in performing accurate speciation analysis of CH3Hg+ in complex matrices such as fishery products. It is also interesting to note that mercury bio-availability seems to be linked to the selenium levels. Although it was shown for a few decades that selenium (Se) shows protective effects against Hg bioaccumulation and toxicity, the mechanism is very poorly understood nowadays. This work report the development and optimization of a new analytical approach for the simultaneous speciation analysis of mercury (Hg2+ and CH3Hg+) and selenium (SeIV, Se VI, SeMet and SeCys) in fish by HPLC-ICP-MS. This method will be employed further for the assessment of dietary exposure to Hg & Se species bio-accumulation by fish, for the analysis of cooked samples as well as for the in vitro simulated digestion studies, to achieve the main aim of this study which is a deep assessment of the Hg-Se interaction in fish and the human dietary exposure.