Possible methylation of inorganic mercury by silicones in the environment.

Organosiloxanes (silicones) are being released to the environment in increasing quantities, and there are questions concerning the reactivity of silicones as methylating agents under environmental conditions. Specifically, the interaction of inorganic mercury and polydimethylsiloxanes, and other silicones, to give methylmercury is important in this content. To this end a series of laboratory experiments, in which inorganic mercury, short and long chain silicones, cyclic siloxanes, oxidized silicone gums, and industrial formulations containing silicones, were conducted. In all cases, there was evidence of the production of methylmercury, a finding of potential significance. Analyses for methylmercury and related silicon-containing degradation products were conducted using a combination of gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and head-space gas analysis.