What EPA test methods are available for use in detecting the presence of mercury?
These test methods are described in detail in EPA's publication SW-846, which is the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery's (ORCR) official compendium of analytical and sampling methods that are available for use in complying with Resource Conservation & Recovery Act regulations.
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Method
7470A (PDF) (6 pp, 104K)
Mercury in Liquid Waste (Manual Cold-Vapor Technique)
Method
7471B (PDF) (7 pp, 111K)
Mercury in Solid or Semisolid Waste (Manual Cold-Vapor Technique)
Method
7472 (PDF) (7 pp, 69K)
Mercury in Aqueous Samples and Extracts by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry
(ASV)
Method
7471B (PDF) (8 pp, 109K)
Mercury in Solid or Semisolid Waste (Manual Cold-Vapor Technique)
Method
7473 (PDF) (15 pp, 315K)
Mercury in Solids and Solutions by Thermal Decomposition, Amalgamation,
and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry
Method
7474 (PDF) (16 pp, 272K)
Mercury in Sediment and Tissue Samples by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry