Mercury concentrations of food products and of soils in North Dakota

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1973 · Proc. N. D. Acad. Sci.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6445141

Deitz, F D; Sell, J L; Buchanan, M L

Recent discovery of high levels of mercury (Hg) in waterfowl in the state prompted a Hg survey of agricultural products in North Dakota. Milk, eggs, soil, pork and beef tissue (longissimis dorsi and liver) were among the products analyzed. Tissue samples were subjected to wet-oxidation using concentrated HNO/sub 3/ and H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ acids with vanadium pentoxide as a catalyst. Subsequently, Hg in the digests was determined by the cold-vapor technique, utilizing atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The milk samples analyzed average 0.8 ng/ml (ppb) with a range of 0.0 to 7.0 ng/ml. Beef longissimis dorsi samples average 4.5 ng/g with a range of 0.0 to 18.8 ng/g while liver samples from the same animals average 10.1 ng/g (range of 0.0 to 29.5 ng/g). Pork longissimis dorsi samples averaged 5.4 ng/g with a range of 0.0 to 12.5 ng/g while liver samples from the same animals average 12.9 ng/g (range of 0.0 to 26.2 ng/g). Eggs and soil samples had an average mercury content of 15.8 ng/g and 32.7 ng/g respectively.

• Research Organization: North Dakota State Univ., Fargo
• OSTI ID: 6445141
• Journal Information: Proc. N. D. Acad. Sci.; (United States), Vol. 27:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
FOOD
CONTAMINATION
MERCURY
BUILDUP
UPTAKE
SOILS
CATTLE
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
MEAT
MILK
NORTH DAKOTA
SWINE
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BODY FLUIDS
DOMESTIC ANIMALS
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION VIII
MAMMALS
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
METALS
NORTH AMERICA
RUMINANTS
USA
VERTEBRATES
510200* - Environment
Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology