Methodological considerations regarding the use of inorganic 197Hg(II) radiotracer to assess mercury methylation potential rates in lake sediment.

Methodological considerations on the determination of benthic methyl-mercury (CH(3)Hg) production potentials were investigated on lake sediment, using (197)Hg radiotracer. Three methods to arrest bacterial activity were compared: flash freezing, thermal sterilization, and gamma-irradiation. Flash freezing showed similar CH(3)Hg recoveries as thermal sterilization, which was both 50% higher than the recoveries obtained with gamma-ray irradiation.