Reassessment of mercury in surface water in the Adirondack region, New York

A study in 1970 established a natural background concentration of mercury in surface water in the Adirondack region of New York. In 1974, new methods of sample preservation and analysis were used in determining concentrations of mercury of samples of water from the same surface-water sites sampled in 1970-71. Concentrations of mercury for all sites in the 1974 study were virtually the same as those obtained in 1970-71, less than 0.5 microgram per litre, which is the detection limit of the methods.