Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption and Microwave Digestion for the Determination of Mercury in Honey, Pollen, Propolis and Bees of Greek Origin

In the present study a fast and reliable cold vapor atomic absorbance method was developed and validated for the determination of mercury in four beehive matrices (honey, pollen, propolis and bees) from Greece. For the sample preparation microwave digestion with H₂O₂ and HNO₃ in closed vessels under pressure was applied. The analysis of the apiary products showed that the mercury content is < 0.05 μg g^-1 for honey, < 0.06 μg g^-1 for pollen, < 0.3 μg g^-1 for propolis and < 0.8 μg g^-1 for honey bees d.w. The findings of the present study, in comparison with the literature data, do not trigger a special concern regarding mercury contamination of honey, pollen, propolis and bees from any of the sampled areas in Greece.