Mercury analysis of water and fish in northeast Kansas

CHED 1127

Chris G'Sell, psteinbach@benedictine.edu, Natalie Russo, psteinbach@benedictine.edu, Troy Ruskamp, psteinbach@benedictine.edu, and Paul Steinbach, psteinbach@benedictine.edu. Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Benedictine College, 1020 N. Second St., Atchison, KS 66002
Atchison, KS, is located on a bluff above the Missouri River, north of the Kansas City metropolitan region. Water and fish samples from the local Atchison, KS, area have been tested for the presence and quantity of mercury using cold-vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy (CVAAS). Water samples from a local spring, the Missouri River, and a feeder creek (Independence Creek) have been tested for mercury content. Fish samples from the Missouri River and two local watershed ponds have also been tested for mercury. Samples tested include liver, gonad and meat tissue. Results of the water testing indicate no detectable quantities of mercury, while fish samples do have detectable quantities. Shovelnose sturgeon have been found to contain the highest levels of mercury, at this time.