I completed this during my freshmen year individual chemistry research course.

1. Mercury Analysis
Adelana Adesuyi
Faculty Advisor: Jennifer Look, Ph. D.
Mercer University, Macon, GA
Introduction
Types of Mercury
There are twomain,dangerous typesof mercurythatare particularlyrelevanttothe
NeighborhoodChemistryResearch Team’sstudy.These twoformsare methylmercuryand elemental
mercury. Methylmercury isa form of mercury thatis particularlyharmful andcanaccumulate infish
populations,whereas elemental mercuryiscontainedinlightbulbsandoldermodelsof thermometers.
If these commonhouseholditemsare brokenandnotproperlydisposedof ina safe andtimelymatter,
several negativehealtheffectscanoccur. The properdisposal techniquesof brokenlightbulbsand
thermometerswill be discussedlaterinthe article.
Dangers of Mercury
Powerplantstendtoemitlargestamountsof mercuryon a regularbasis,accordingto the
Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA).Whendiscussingthe large amountsof mercuryemissions
releasedbymajorpowerplants,itisalsonecessarytounderstandthe dangersandeffectsof this
mercuryon the surroundingareaand population. Manypowerplantstendtodumptheirremaining
waste intoneighboringbodiesof water.Thisresultsin fishacquiringgrowingamountsof methylmercury
withinthem.Afterthat,peopletendtoconsume fish,alongwiththe mercuryalreadylocatedinthe fish.
Thisis a processcalled biomagnification.Whenapersonconsumesseveral fishwithmercurydetectedin
it,the personbeginstoaccumulate the mercurylevelswithintheirbody.Thisisparticularlyhazardous
as everyyear,more than 300,000 newbornschildrenare bornwithanincreasedriskof learning
disabilitiesanddevelopmental complicationsfrominuteromercuryexposure.Thisisbecause mercuryis
a neurotoxin thancanimpairneurological developmentsinnewbornsandyoungchildren. Accordingto
the EPA,over “200,000 childrenmaybe born inGeorgiawithdangerouslyhighlevelsof mercuryintheir
blood.”Thishas resultedinissuancesof warningsregardingtoxiclevelsof mercurycontainedinthe fish
that people consume.
In household objects,similardangersoccurfrombreaking elementalmercury-based
thermometers,compactfluorescentlightbulbs(CFL),andritualisticandreligiousobjectsthatcontain
mercury. The maindemographicthatis mosteasilyaffectedbymercury(Hg) exposure isyoungchildren.
Thisis due to three mainreasons.The firstisthat Hg vaporstendto settle lowerinthe air,aroundthe
heightwhere manyyoungchildrenplay. Thismeansthatyoungkidshave anincreasedamountof
exposure toHg.Second,childrenare lesscapable of keepingmercuryoutof the braindue to theirage
and lackof development. Therefore,the Hgthattheyintake,tendstomake itswayto the brainand stay

2. there.Lastly,childrentendtohave higherrespirationratesthanadults.Thus,theyhave more
opportunitiestobreathe inHgvapors. Despite all this,everybodycanbe negativelyaffectedbyHg
exposure;youngchildren tendtoreceivethe effectssooner. Some of the main effectsof Hg exposure
include kidneyandnervoussystemdamage.Whenthe nervoussystemisaffectedbyHg,itcan resultin
a decrease of motorskills,poorconcentration,tremors,difficultywalking, trouble sleeping, decreaseof
nerve impulse conduction, potentiallypermanent short-termmemorylossalongwithmanyotherhealth
effects.The mostseriouseffectof mercuryexposureisdeath,which onlyoccursif alarge amountof
mercuryhas been builtupwithinone’sbody. Asaresult,the EPA hasseta standardsafetylimitforhow
much mercurycan be safelybreathedinas 300 nanogramsper cubicmeter(ng/m3
).Anyvalue below
thislevel isnotdeemedascriticallydangerous forbreathing.
Mercury in the Air
Major Sourcesof Mercury in the Air
Accordingto the EPA,in the UnitedStates,powerplantsare responsible formore than50% of
all domestichuman-producedemissionsof mercury. These powerplantsoftentimesdumptheirwaste
intoneighboringbodiesof water,whichcausesreservoirsandlakesto exceedthe safety limitproposed
by the EPA.Data from the EPA alsorevealsthatthere hasbeeninan increase inmercuryemissionsfrom
2007 to 2008. Additionally,fromthe year2000 to 2008, there were approximately 417.1 tons of
mercury(Hg) emissions inthe UnitedStates. Thisdatawasself-reportedbythe powerplants
themselves,whichmayindicate thatthe amountof emissionsmaybe muchhigherthaneachplant
actually reported.
The state of Georgiahas two of the top 50 dirtiestpowerplantsinthe nation. One of the twois
the Scherer Power Plant.Takingintoconsiderationthe large amountof mercuryemissions thatpower
plantsproduce,itwasexpectedthatthe local PlantScherer,rated thirddirtiestpowerplantin2008,
wouldreporthighlevelsof mercuryduringtesting. There hasalsobeenan increase inHgemissions
comparedto the year2000, whichfurtherledthe ResearchTeamto expecthighermercurylevels. On
the otherhand,several new regulationsregardingmercuryemissionsatGeorgiapowerplantshave
beenimplementedinthe pastfewyears. These regulationsresultedinadjustmentsbeingmade tothe
plantin2009 and2010. As a resultof these new pollutionregulations,PlantSchererhasdecreased its
mercuryoutputfrom itspreviously1,589 poundsin2008 to only221 pounds of mercuryin2011. This
newnumbershowsadrastic change of 1,368 poundslessof mercuryemissionsduringa three-year
span. Additionallydisplayingthe progressof the plant, Schererwasnolongeramemberof the top ten
list(providedbythe same organizationthatplacedthematthirdpreviously) of the largestmercury
emittingpowerplantsin 2013. Afterconsideringthesenew advancementsthatwere made,the
ResearchTeamthenexpectedlowerlevelsof mercurytobe foundinthe data than there wouldbe if
testingwere done inthe earlier2000s.
Testing for Mercury in Macon’sAir

3. To measure the amountof elemental mercury in the air at several locations(picturedbelow),
the Team useda device calledthe RA-915MMercury Lumex (alsoshow below).Thisdevice isahigh
precisiondevicethatisusedtomeasure the concentrationof mercuryvaporin ambientair.The Lumex
can alsobe usedto detectamountsof mercuryinliquids,solids,andgases.The Lumex device works
basedon absorptionspectrometry,whichisamethodusedtodetectthe concentrationsoramountof
an elementinasample.The concentrationismeasuredinnanogramspercubicmeter(ng/m3
).
Accordingto the EPA,the safetylimitfordailyoutdoorinhalationis 300 ng/m3
.In otherwords,if the
amountof mercurymeasuredinng/m3
isabove 300, thenthe people locatedinthose regionsare
inhalingdangerousamountsof mercurythatcancause serioushealthcomplications. Additionally,
because powerplantsreleasethe largestamountof mercuryintothe air,theyholda lotof responsibility
whenitcomesto the effectof mercurypollutiononpeople.

4. Above: A map of the locations used for testing. For a more detailed
image, click here.
Above: An image of the RA-915MMercury Lumex used for
testing.

5. Resultsof Testing- Macon and BibbCounty Air
The data results,foundfromtestingvariouslocationsaroundMaconand BibbCounty,reveal
that Macon doesnot have dangerouslevelsof mercuryinthe air,and itis well below the safetylimit
(eachof the valuesisbetween1.5and 4 ng/m3
).Additionally,the low standarddeviationof ourdata
revealsthatthe resultsthatwe obtainedare consistentwithone another,thustheyare reliable. We
decidedtotestat these locationsasPlantSchereris locatednearby eachof the selectedsites.We
wantedtosee if the close proximityof the powerplant causedasignificantamountof mercuryair
Above: This graph shows the atmospheric mercury concentration at each of the
sites tested throughout Macon and Bibb County. The purple dotted line
represents the EPA's determined safe daily limit for mercury inhalation as 300
ng/m3, and each of the determined values are well below the safety limit. See
map or click here for location of sites.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
MercuryConcentraiton(ng/m3)
Site Locations

6. pollution.Thisisbecause PlantSchereris acoal-drivenpowerplant,andcoal releasesasignificant
amountof air pollution.Thisparticularplantisalsoparticularlyknownforits large amountof air
pollution asitisreferredtoas the nation’slargestemitterof greenhousegases aswell asthe “dirtiest
powerplantinthe nation.”However,aswe can see fromthe data, the powerplanthas not hada major
impacton increasingthe mercuryairlevels,asthe levelsare safe fordailyinhalation (below300 ng/m3
).
Mercury in Household Items: Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
Note:When mercury is not properly disposed of and cleaned up,mercury vapormay begin to
build up within thelocation,causing serioushealth conditions.Instructionsforcleaning household
mercury spills arerecommended by the EPA can befound here.
Introduction
The Compact Fluorescentlightbulb(CFL) hasbecome one the maintypesof lightbulbsusedin
the nationas Incandescentlightbulbshave become phasedout. CFLshave beenusedtoreplace the
incandescentlightbulb,asitrequireslesselectricitytogenerate light andare more energyefficient.
However,CFLs tendtohave hazardous elemental mercury containedwithinthem, butonlyaround 3-5
milligrams (mg) of mercury (Itisimportantto note thatno mercury is released fromthe bulb aslong as it
is intact). This amountistypicallynotdangerousenoughtocause severe dangerif aCFL bulbisbroken
fromtime to time.A 2011 study revealedthatonlyaminute fragmentof hazardousmercuryisactually
releasedwhenaCFLis broken.However,if the mercuryisnotproperlycleanedupafterthe CFLbreaks,
the amountof dangerousmercuryvaporcan begintobuildupand beginhavingadverse healtheffects
on those wholive inthe location.
Testing of Compact FluorescentLight Bulbs
Two separate tests were conductedregardingCFLs.The firsttestwasdesignedto compare the
Hg concentrationlevelsof twodifferentmanufacturingbrands,EcoSmart (whichisintendedtobe more
environmentallyfriendlythanmostlightbulbs) andPhilips (whichrepresentsthe more standardCFL).
The secondtestwas conductedtotest the EPA’srecommendedcleaningprocedure (foundhere) for
releasedHgfroma brokenCFL. To testthe two brandsof CFL andthe EPA cleanup procedure,the
ResearchTeamused the Mercury Lumex device previouslyusedtotestlevelsof HginMacon’s air. The
resultsof the testingare foundbelow.

7. Results ofTesting-CompactFluorescentLight BulbBrands
To conduct the test,eachof the lightbulbsfromeachbrand was placedintoa closedjar without
any additional meansof sealingbesidestighteningthe lid.The dataresultsreveal thatthe more
“environmentallyfriendly”lightbulb(EcoSmart)hassignificantlylowerlevelsof mercurydetectedby
the Lumex thanthe Philipslightbulbdoes.The varyingvaluesof the bargraph indicate varyingreadings
by the Lumex,asthe amount of mercuryemittedmayfluctuate overtime.However,the general trend
revealsthatthe EcoSmart CFL has consistentlylowerlevelsof mercuryemissions.Itisalsoimportantto
note that, whenbroken,bothbrandshave Hglevelswellbelow the 300 ng/m3
EPA limit.
Results ofTesting-Environmental ProtectionAgencyRecommended CleanUp Procedure
To testEPA’srecommendedcleanupprocedure,the ResearchTeamplacedabrokenCFL intoa
jar, followingthe instructionssetbythe EPA.The instructionscanbe found here.The mercuryreadings
were takenat varyingdistancesof 1.5 inches,6 inches,12 inches,36 inches,and72 inchesinorderto
simulate at-home interactionswithbrokenmercuryandthe dangersthatcorrespondwithit. The first
trial yieldedthe resultsasfollowsinthe graphbelow.
Above: Hg concentrations of both the Philips and EcoSmart brand CFl as read by the Mercury Lumex device.
Results show that the EcoSmart brand has lower levels of Hg than the standard Philips CFL.

8. The data showsthat at one and half inchesfromthe sealedjar,the mercuryreadingswere as
highas almost4,000 ng/m3
,whichiswell above the 300 ng/m3
safetylimit. However,ataroundsix
inchesfromthe jar, the readingdroppeddrasticallytoa value between500 and 1,000, whichisstill
above the safetylimit.Itonlyreachedavalue below the safetylimitatadistance of twelve inchesand
more. The significance of the datarevealsthatmerelyfollowingthe EPA’sprocedure isnotenoughto
maintainthe Hg concentrationata safe level of lessthan300 ng/m3
.
Afterthisinitial trial,the testwasrepeatedwith the additionof electrical tape asanadditional
meansof sealingthe jar.The resultsof thistestcoincidedwiththe initial testingof the room.Thismeans
that the mercuryemissionlevel decreaseddrasticallywiththe additionof the electrical tape asa
sealant.Therefore,the electrical tape isasafermethod,inadditiontothe alreadysealedjar,for
disposingof andcontainingmercuryfrombrokenlightbulbs.The readingsalsorevealedthatthe
concentrationswere belowthe safetylimit.Thus,itisrecommendedtofollow the suggested EPA clean
Above: This graph represents the mercury concentrations taken ateach distance
from the closed jar containinga broken fluorescent light.It demonstrates that
merely closingtheobject in a jar is notenough to keep mercury levels ata safelevel.

9. up procedure alongwithelectrical tape asan addedsafetyfeature. A photoof the sealedCFLwith the
electrical tape usedtoseal the jaris below.
Mercury in Household Items: Thermometers
Introduction
Justas CFL bulbscontainmercury,the more traditional (andnow more outdated) type of
thermometersisthe mercurythermometer.Inthistype of thermometer,the sectionthatiscommonly
redholdsthe mercury.However,inmercurythermometers,the mercury isasilvercolor,notred.From
thiscoloring,itisusuallyeasytodetermine if athermometerismercury-basedoralcohol,asalcohol
basedthermometersare colorsotherthansilver(red,blue,purple,etc.).Onthe otherhand,if a
thermometerisbroken,itisrecommendedthatthe thermometerbe treatedasthoughitcontains
mercury,forsafetyreasons.Commonhouseholdthermometersthatcontainmercuryare fever,oven,
candy,and meatthermometers. The ResearchTeamconductedatest identical tothe brokenCFLtestby
followingthe recommendedEPA procedurewith andwithoutthe additional electrical tape forfurther
sealing.The resultscanbe seenbelow.
Above: An image of the sealed lightbulb with electrical tapeused as an added
step yielding lower levels of released mercury emissions.

10. Results ofTesting-Thermometer
The resultsof testingreveal thatsealingthe jarwiththe brokenthermometerkeepsthe level of
Hg belowthe 300 ng/m3
safetylimit.Onthe otherhand,withoutthe additionalelectrical tape,the
Mercury Lumex readingsindicate levelswell abovethe safetylimit,suchasat 2,000 ng/m3
,similarto
CFL testing.
EPA safety limit- 300ng/m3
Jar sealedwithEPA
recommended
instructions
Above: Results of Hg readings of following EPA recommended clean up of a broken
thermometer sealed in a jar compared to sealing with electrical tape. Results reveal
that electrical tape reduces exposure to below the EPA safety limit.

11. Ritualistic and Religious Items
Introduction
In the worldtoday,there are many religiousandritualisticpracticesinvolving mercury. These
practicesare mostoften deemedasunsafe.Some religiouspurposesforusingmercuryinclude bringing
love,luck,andfortune,protectionfromevil,andspiritual cleansing,while some ritualisticpractices
include consumingmercury-filledpillstoheal physical ailments, placingmercuryunderthe bednight,
rubbinga mercuryand alcohol combinationonareasof skinwitharthritis,evaporatingmercury by
candle,etc.Many of the practicesinvolvingmercurytend tocause furtherissuesratherthansolvingthe
initial problem. However,eachof these practicestendstopose healththreats.
The ResearchTeam decidedtoconduct a testmeasuringthe Hg concentrationsfromfive
differentreligiousobjects usingthe MercuryLumex.Eachobjectwassealedinajar (as inprevioustests
withoutthe electrical tape) alongwithasegmentof carpetfor 20 minutesthenwithapiece of tile for20
minutes. Thiswasdone toreplicate the absorptionlevelsof mercuryontothe floorof a home where
mercuryobjectsare used. The read valueswouldindicate how muchexposurea residentwould be
exposedtoovertime. The readingswere taken everyminute andgraphedbelow.
Results of Testing of RitualisticandReligiousItems
The mercury objectandthe surface (carpet/tile)are placedinafixed-volume containerwiththe
endof the Lumex hose running throughthe tophole of the container. Forthissetup, the containerused
isa Styrofoamcooler. Animage of the experimental setupisdepictedbelow.
Above: 2 of 5 of the mercury-containing religious
articles that are being studied
Above: Experimental setup used in testing the mercury objects and
surfaces.

12. The resultsof the testingreveal thatthe carpetsurface absorbshigherHg
concentrationsthanthe tile surface. However,bothof the surfacesretainunsafe levelsof Hg for the
firstseveral minutes astheybothreach at least2,000 ng/m3
,whichiswell above the 300 ng/m3
safety
limit.These valuesrepresentwhataritualisticorreligioususermaybe regularlyexposedto whenthey
exercise theirparticularpracticesinvolvingmercury.
Above: Results of the surface and mercury object testing showing that carpet has higher amounts of Hg
absorbed than tile.