Determination of urinary mercury among workers with occupational exposure by atomic fluorescence spectrometry and microwave digestion

Objective To establish a method to detect urinary mercury among workers with occupational exposure by atomic fluorescence spectrometry(AFS) and microwave digestion.Methods The urine specimens from workers with occupational mercury exposure were treated with microwave digestion and then the mercury in the specimens was determined with hydride generation AFS.Results The method showed a good linearity in the range of mercury concentration of 0.01-10μg/L(r=0.9996) and a detection limit of 0.01μg/L;the recovery rates of the method ranged from 100.0% to 107.8%,with the relative standard deviations of 2.07%-4.26%.Conclusion The method could be used to monitor mercury level in vivo among workers with occupational exposure.