Approximately 2700 – 6000 tons of mercury are released into the atmosphere
annually. Once airborne, mercury can travel thousand miles from its generation
point. Eventually, it precipitates onto the land and water. And once it enters
water, mercury is transformed by microorganisms into methylmercury, the most
toxic and dangerous for m of mercury.
Exposure to high dosage of methylmercury can cause tremors, inability to
walk, convulsions and even death. Children exposed to the mercury show a variety
of abnormalities such as delayed onset of walking and talking, cerebral palsy,
and slowed neurological reflexes and learning abilities.
One of the best indicators of exposure to mercury is testing for
concentration in hair and blood. The average concentration of mercury in
non-exposed people is about 8 ppb in blood and 2 ppm in hair Mercury has
traditionally been measured in hair, blood, tissues, and urine by CVAAS (Cold
Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry), which is a time and labor consuming
method that relies on complicated wet chemistry sample preparation.
The DMA-80 Direct Mercury Analyzer from Milestone eliminates the sample
preparation step, allowing you to rapidly process your samples in minutes,
instead of the hours needed for traditional methods. This rapid testing (which
is as accurate, if not more so, that CVAAS) gives you the answers you need
without consuming valuable time and effort.
Other benefits include:
Process both liquid and solid samples – no matter how difficult the matrix
you will get an accurate total mercury reading.
The built-in 40-position autosampler allows unattended operation for a large
number of samples
The DMA-80 is portable enough to be stationed where you need it most; in your
laboratory, in a portable testing van, etc...
No chemicals are used in the process so no additional toxic wastes are
generated.
Completely compatible with US EPA Method 7473
