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Abstract
Mercury pollution has been well known for several decades and it is still a problem today. Mercury is still the main component in a variety of products such as thermometers, dry cell batteries, etc., and used in numerous industrial processes, as catalysts in the petrochemical industry. Scientific attention has focused on organic forms of mercury, such as methylmercury (a neurotoxin and is the most toxic chemical form of mercury). Mercury methylation and demethylation occurred through different processes, both biotic and abiotic. Yet, the relative importance of each degradation pathway still remains unclear. Several studies have been conducted to evaluate the photodegradation of methylmercury. Methylmercury can be degraded by UV light irradiation (with wavelengths of 185 and 254 nm). Since the sunlight reaching the earth does not contain much UV light below 280 nm, this direct photodegradation is unlikely to occur in lakes. However, indirect photodegradation by aqueous radicals can be the main pathway for trace organic chemicals in natural waters, including organic mercury species.
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Source Title
ACS National Meeting Book of Abstracts
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Date
2001
DOI
Type
Conference Paper