Because of its high toxicity and because it accumulates and
persists in the environment and biota,1 there is increasing concern
about the determination and monitoring of mercury. Mercury
pollution is recognized as a major environmental issue and health
hazard for humans. Strict regulations for the maximum allowable
mercury concentration in environmental and food samples have
been established throughout the world. Mercury has a high vapor
pressure and is the only metal recognized as being able to form
a monatomic vapor at room temperature. As a result, cold vapor
generation (CVG)2 has been combined with atomic absorption
spectrometry (AAS) or atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS)
for mercury determination in many application areas.3 The CVG
technique is particularly attractive because of its high sample
introduction efficiency and its ability to separate the analyte (Hg)
from complex matrixes.