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Stability of Monomethylmercury in Water

Harvey, Sarah Elyse
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1432918224

Abstract Details

2015, Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Monomethylmercury (MMHg) bioaccumulates in aquatic food webs, leading to concentrations in fish that increase health risks for humans who consume fish. As a result of processes that produce and decompose it, MMHg concentrations are notoriously unstable in many natural waters. I examined the stability of MMHg in both filter-sterilized (< 0.1 µm) reagent-grade water and 0.22-µm filtered sediment pore water from Grand Lake St. Marys, Auglaize and Mercer Counties, Ohio, each at three MMHg treatment concentrations (1, 5, and 50 ng/L). Reagent-grade water samples were incubated under both light and dark conditions at either 5 or 26 °C for 112 days. Pore water samples were incubated in the dark at 26 °C, mimicking environmental conditions, for a period of 98 days. Decay constants (± 95% CI) for solutions containing either 1 or 5 ng/L MMHg in reagent-grade water ranged from 0.0009 ± 0.0013 to 0.1225 ± 0.0150 d-1, with greater decay constants at higher temperature and no significant effect of light exposure. In contrast, decay constants for 50 ng/L MMHg in reagent-grade water were much less than those in more dilute solutions, ranging from 0.0018 ± 0.0015 to 0.0055 ± 0.0023 d-1, with both light and temperature influencing MMHg decomposition. Decay constants of MMHg in pore water were found to be independent of initial concentration of MMHg; however, decay constants in pore water samples were 3-fold higher than those in reagent-grade water amended with the same initial concentration (p = 0.007). These results suggest that natural constituents in pore water accelerate MMHg decay reactions.
Chad Hammerschmidt, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Carl Lamborg, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Christopher Barton, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
34 p.
Environmental Studies
environmental studies

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Harvey, S. E. (2015). Stability of Monomethylmercury in Water [Master's thesis, Wright State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1432918224

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Harvey, Sarah. Stability of Monomethylmercury in Water. 2015. Wright State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1432918224.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Harvey, Sarah. "Stability of Monomethylmercury in Water." Master's thesis, Wright State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1432918224

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

wright1432918224
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© 2015, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Wright State University and OhioLINK.