Overview
EN ISO 17852:2008 - “Water quality - Determination of mercury - Method using atomic fluorescence spectrometry (ISO 17852:2006)” is a CEN-adopted ISO method for measuring total mercury in water by atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS). The standard covers analysis of drinking, surface, ground and rain waters, and can be extended to industrial and municipal wastewater after an appropriate additional digestion step. It replaces EN 13506:2001 and references sampling and laboratory water quality standards (e.g., ISO 5667 series, ISO 3696).
Key topics and technical requirements
- Analytical principle: Digestion with chemically generated bromine/bromine chloride (BrCl) from potassium bromide / potassium bromate, removal of excess oxidant with ascorbic acid, reduction of Hg(II) to Hg(0) with tin(II) chloride, purging into an AFS detector.
- Working and dynamic ranges:
- Potential linear dynamic range: approximately 1 ng/L to 100 µg/L.
- Typical practical working range: 10 ng/L to 10 µg/L.
- Sensitivity and precision:
- With high-purity reagents a method detection limit of < 1 ng/L is obtainable.
- Relative standard deviation typically < 5% for concentrations > 20 × MDL.
- Reagents and standards: potassium bromate, potassium bromide, KBr–KBrO3 reagent (prepared day-of-use), L‑ascorbic acid, Sn(II)Cl2, HCl, certified mercury standards and ultra‑pure water (ISO 3696 grade 1).
- Interferences and materials:
- Mercury adsorption/desorption on vessel walls; diffusion through some plastics - use glass or mercury-impermeable tubing (e.g., FEP).
- Quenching from water vapor or aerosols - remove moisture with hygroscopic membrane.
- Complexing anions (sulfide, iodide, bromide) and noble metals (Au, Ag, Pt) can suppress signal.
- Volatile organics generally do not interfere.
- Quality control: include reagent blanks, calibration with at least five standards spanning the range of interest, and appropriate dilution for samples above the working range.
Applications and users
Who uses EN ISO 17852:2008:
- Environmental and public‑health laboratories monitoring mercury in drinking water, surface waters, groundwater and rain.
- Wastewater laboratories performing industrial/municipal effluent analysis after digestion.
- Water utilities, regulatory agencies, consultants, and researchers performing compliance monitoring, pollution investigations, and treatment performance evaluation.
Practical applications:
- Regulatory compliance and environmental surveillance for mercury pollution.
- Trace-level mercury screening and quantitation in routine water monitoring programs.
- Source‑tracking and impact assessment for industrial discharges.
Related standards
- ISO 3696 - Water for analytical laboratory use (grade 1).
- ISO 5667 series - Water sampling guidance (design, techniques, preservation).
- EN 13506:2001 - superseded by EN ISO 17852:2008.
Keywords: EN ISO 17852:2008, mercury determination, atomic fluorescence spectrometry, AFS, water quality, mercury detection limit, KBr–KBrO3 digestion, trace mercury analysis.
