Organo mercury compounds

Organic substances with at least one mercury atom

Organic mercury compounds are characterised by covalent bonds between carbon and mercury. In the past they were used for instance as herbicides and fungicides in plant protection (e.g. seed treatment), and as wood preservatives. Nowadays they are still used as disinfectants, e.g., in vaccines.

Organic mercury compounds are very toxic. Many of them are lipophilic and enrich in organisms.
The most common organic mercury compound in the environment is (mono)methylmercury which results mainly from natural methylation of inorganic mercury.

Substances

  • Organometallic compound that is naturally formed from inorganic mercury ions

Specimen

  • Common mussel species as invasive animal in rivers and lakes with high information level for water pollution
  • One of the most important edible mussel species common in the North and Baltic Sea

Sampling area

Sampling period

1986 - 2021