Mercury analysers are instruments for the rapid determination of mercury using the direct combustion method (EPA 7473).
Many laboratories still use cold-vapour atomic absorption (CVAA) or inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for mercury analysis. Although both of these methods have proven their effectiveness, they present certain laboratory and environmental challenges. The most significant of these is that both methods require labour-intensive sample preparation and result in the generation of hazardous waste. Furthermore, obtaining accurate and reproducible data can be problematic given the volatility of mercury.