Is dissolved mercury absorbed by plastics?

From our technical expert and training course lecturer Jan Frank Mars:

“Do dissolved metals (like mercury) absorb in PE tubing or well material?

The answer is no! All plastics are made of non-polar molecules, this implies plastics are hydrophobic. Dissolved metals are positively charged ions, which “love” to be in the aquatic phase -water is a polar molecule- and is repelled by non-polars.

For this reason salts easily dissolve in water and do not dissolve in petrol. Whereas volatiles like benzene (non-polar molecules) are easily absorbed in plastics.”

Jan Frank Mars