Bioaccumulation of Total Mercury and Monomethylmercury in the Earthworm Eisenia Fetida

Bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) for inorganic mercury in earthworms are usually < 1; however, factors up to ∼10 have been reported. Little information is available concerning the bioaccumulation of organic mercury in earthworms from actual contaminated soils and thus there has been uncertainty in the risk characterization phase of ecological risk assessments of mercury-contaminated sites. This study was initiated to determine the rate of uptake...