A passive integrative sampler for mercury vapor in air and neutral mercury species in water.

Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Entity_and_Attribute_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: W.G. Brumbaugh, J.D. Petty, T.W. May, J.N. Huckins

Originator:

U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Publication_Date: 1999

Title:

A passive integrative sampler for mercury vapor in air and neutral mercury species in water.

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place: Columbia, Missouri

Publisher:

U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Description:

Abstract:

A passive integrative mercury sampler (PIMS) based on a sealed polymeric membrane was effective for the collection and preconcentration of Hg⁰. Because the Hg is both oxidized and stabilized in the PIMS, sampling intervals of weeks to months are possible. The effective air sampling rate for a 15 x 2.5 cm device was about 2 liter equivalents/day (0.002 m3/day) and the detection limit for 4-week sampling was about 2 ng/m3 for conventional ICP-MS determination without cleanroom preparation. Sampling precision was < 5% RSD for laboratory exposures, and 5-10% RSD for field exposure. These results suggest that the PIMS could be useful for screening assessments of Hg contamination and exposure in the environment, the laboratory, and the workplace. The PIMS approach may be particularly useful for applications requiring unattended sampling for extended periods at remote locations. Preliminary results indicate that sampling for dissolved gaseous mercury (DGM) and potentially other neutral mercury species from water is also feasible. Rigorous validation of the sampler performance is currently in progress.

Purpose:

Monitoring efforts of mercury emissions associated with fossil fuel burning and waste incineration have increased in recent years because of a growing body of evidence implicating these sources of airborne Hg in the eventual bioaccumulation in fish in watersheds far removed from Hg point sources. Because of the normally low ambient concentrations and the potential for contaminantion artifacts, sampling and analysis of Hg from air or water requires facilities and technical skills that relatively few analytical laboratories possess. The investigators developed a passive integrative mercury sampler (PIMS) for sampling of Hg⁰ that is relatively simple to use and may potentially be utilized by laboratories not equipped with low-level Hg analytical facilities. Furthermore, the PIMS approach may be particularly useful for applications requiring unattended sampling for extended periods at remote locations.

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 199708

Ending_Date: 199710

Currentness_Reference: observed

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Theme_Keyword: mercury

Theme_Keyword: sampling

Theme_Keyword: air

Theme_Keyword: water

Theme_Keyword: passive

Access_Constraints: none

Use_Constraints: none

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization:

U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resourcs
Division, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Contact_Person: William G. Brumbaugh

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical address

Address: 4200 New Haven Road

City: Columbia

State_or_Province: Missouri

Postal_Code: 65201

Contact_Voice_Telephone: (573) 876-1857

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: (573) 876-1896

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: William_Brumbaugh@usgs.gov

Cross_Reference:

Citation_Information:

Originator: W.G. Brumbaugh, J.D. Petty, T.W. May, J.N. Huckins

Originator:

U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Publication_Date: 2000

Title:

A passive integrative sampler for mercury vapor in air and neutral mercury species in water.

Series_Information:

Series_Name: Chemosphere: Global Change Science

Issue_Identification: 2

Other_Citation_Details: pp. 1-9

Data_Quality_Information:

Attribute_Accuracy:

Attribute_Accuracy_Report: unknown

Logical_Consistency_Report: not applicable

Completeness_Report: unknown

Lineage:

Methodology:

Methodology_Type: Lab

Methodology_Identifier:

Methodology_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Methodology_Keyword: sampler preparation

Methodology_Description:

Segments of lay-flat low density polyethylene (LDPE) tubing were cut to the desired length with a steel scalpel. For preliminary experiments including the reagent optimization, the PIMS sampler consisted of a 15-cm length of tubing with a 7.5 cm sealed section containing 1 ml of reagent (i.e., ~38 cm2 active surface area). For most other experiments, the sampler consisted of a 15-cm length to contain either 10 or 20 ml reagent (active surface area of ~76 cm2) plus an additional 5-10 cm segment to allow for loops or tags on the end for purposes of suspending or hanging the PIMS. A one-liter volume of the PIMS reagent was prepared fresh weekly by diluting the appropriate amounts of sub-boiled nitric acid and gold stock solutions with high-purity laboratory deionized water in a glass volumetric flask. One end each of each PIMS was heat-sealed, the exterior was rinsed with acetone, and the tubing was filled with 10% HNO3, 1ppm Au3+ and allowed to soak overnight to extract Hg from the tubing prior to use.

Methodology_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: W. G. Brumbaugh

Publication_Date: unknown

Title: Passive integrative mercury sampler (PIMS).

Other_Citation_Details:

This methodology has been patented by U.S. government application no: 09/195, 039.

Methodology_Type: Lab

Methodology_Identifier:

Methodology_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Methodology_Keyword: transfer and analysis

Methodology_Description:

After deployment, the exterior of each PIMS was rinsed with dilute acid and methanol. A small 0.5 cm cut was made just below the heat seal on one end of the sampler with an acid-rinsed stainless steel scalpel. The PIMS was opened by pulling the tag or loop and subsequently tearing the polyethylene along the cut. The bulk of the liquid contents were then carefully transferred to an acid-cleaned 25 ml glass tube which was sealed with a teflon-lined cap and a polypropylene cap cover. Analysis of the liquid sampler reagent was conducted by either flow-injection cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometry without amalgamation preconcentration, 1990) or inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) fitted with a Meinhard-type nebulizer. The ICP-MS method yielded a slightly lower detection limit (about 0.01 as compared to 0.04 micrograms/liter) and it was therefore used for the determination of the environmentally deployed samplers. Accuracy of instrument calibration standards were verified to be within 5% by daily analysis (at both the beginning and end) of a 0.50 ng/ml Hg solution prepared from a National Institute of Standards and Technology reference standard.

Methodology_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Perkin-Elmer

Publication_Date: 1995

Title:

Standard Operating Procedure Method 200.8 Using Elan 6000, Rev. 1.0.

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place: Norwalk, Connecticut

Publisher: The Perkin-Elmer Corporation

Methodology_Type: Lab

Methodology_Identifier:

Methodology_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Methodology_Keyword: environmental air sampling

Methodology_Description:

A set of PIMSs containing 10 ml reagent were deployed on the roof of a two-story building in downtown Columbia, Missouri, from August through October of 1997. The site is about 0.5 km north/northeast of a coal-fired power plant, which is a potential source of atmospheric Hg (Hanisch, 1998). Five sets of triplicate samplers were deployed in all: three sequential 4-week exposures; one 8-week exposure, and one 12-week exposure. Samplers to be analyzed as method blanks were also maintained in triplicate for each of the five PIMS sets. The PIMSs were fabricated with a 1 cm loop on each end for horizontal deployment between two steel rods affixed to a ring stand base. The base/rod assembly was initially deployed with nine samplers to cover the 4-, 8-, and 12-week exposures. The three PIMSs which were removed after the first 4-week interval were immediately replaced with a new set of PIMSs to monitor the second 4-week interval, and likewise for the third 4-week interval.

Methodology_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Hanisch, C.

Publication_Date: 1998

Title: Where is mercury coming from?

Series_Information:

Series_Name: Environ. Sci. Tech.

Issue_Identification: 32

Other_Citation_Details: pp. 176-179.

Methodology_Type: Lab

Methodology_Identifier:

Methodology_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Methodology_Keyword: water sampling

Methodology_Description:

The water exposure experiment was conducted in the laboratory similar to the reagent optimization experiment (1-1 jars, 1 g of liquid Hg, 21 degrees Centigrade, 10 ml reagent/PIMS), but with water in the containers and a 24 hour Hg equilibration period before the PIMS were added (2 per container). One PIMS was removed after 1 week and the second was removed after 2 weeks. Water treatments included laboratory well water (hardness about 250 ppm, pH 7.6) to simulate freshwater environments and synthetic seawater (about 30 ppt salinity, pH 8.0, prepared by addition of common aquarium sea salt to deionized water) to simulate marine environments. Analysis of water for total Hg was preceded by digestion fo 20 ml samples with 1 ml 5% K2S2O8 and 0.5 ml HCl. Water sampling was conducted at t=0, +7, and +14 days during the experiment.

Process_Step:

Process_Description: unknown

Process_Date: unknown

Entity_and_Attribute_Information:

Overview_Description:

Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

Entity - mercury; Associated attributes - temperature (degrees Centigrade), vapor pressure (mm), equilibrium (air concentration, micrograms per liter), sampled Hg (micrograms), sampling rate.

Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: unknown

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization:

U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources
Division, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Contact_Person: Christopher Henke

Contact_Position: Webmaster

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: mailing and physical address

Address: 4200 New Haven Rd

City: Columbia

State_or_Province: MO

Postal_Code: 65201

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 573-875-5399

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 573-876-1896

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: chris_henke@usgs.gov

Distribution_Liability:

Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the accuracy or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. This disclaimer applies both to individual use of the data and aggregate use with other data. It is strongly recommended that these data are directly acquired from a U.S. Geological Survey server, and not indirectly through other sources which may have changed the data in some way. It is also strongly recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of the metadata file associated with these data. The U.S. Geological Survey shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein.

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Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 200004

Metadata_Review_Date: 200104

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization:

Raytheon Information Technology and Scientific
Services (ITSS)

Contact_Person: Cheryl Solomon

Contact_Position: Ecosystem Coordinator

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: 4500 Forbes Boulevard

City: Lanham

State_or_Province: MD

Postal_Code: 20706

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 301 794-3049

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 301 794-3164

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: solomon@gcmd.nasa.gov

Metadata_Standard_Name:

NBII Content Standard for National Biological Information Infrastructure Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: December 1995

Metadata_Access_Constraints: None

Metadata_Use_Constraints: None