不同含磷化合物修复铅污染土壤后的人体健康风险评价

磷酸盐钝化铅是铅污染土壤的重要修复技术之一.但磷酸盐修复土壤铅污染后,土壤铅对人体的健康风险仍缺乏系统研究.本研究通过向铅污染土壤添加五种不同的含磷化合物(KH_2PO_4、NH_4H_2PO_4、CaHPO_4,植酸和卵磷脂),分析了其对铅污染土壤的钝化效果,运用in vitro和SHIME模型评估修复后土壤铅对人体的健康风险.结果表明,添加含磷化合物30 d后,五种处理均有效降低了铅的DTPA和CaCl_2可提取态,分别降低了62.5%—66.5%和27.8%—49.5%,其中植酸和CaHPO_4处理效果较好,卵磷脂处理效果较差.5种处理中,铅的生物可给性在胃、小肠和结肠阶段有显著差异,分别为8.67%—9.31%、0.88%—1.55%、2.06%—2.76%,由于受pH的影响,铅在胃阶段生物可给性最高且各处理之间差异不明显,在小肠阶段KH_2PO_4处理土壤铅的生物可给性最低,卵磷脂处理铅的生物可给性最高,结肠阶段NH_4H_2PO_4处理土壤铅的生物可给性最低,卵磷脂处理铅的生物可给性最高.结肠阶段铅的生物可给性均高于小肠阶段的,可见肠道微生物促进了土壤中Pb的溶出,提高了铅的生物可给性,增加了人体的健康风险.在添加同等含量的含磷化合物修复铅污染土壤后,KH_2PO_4处理对人体健康风险最小,卵磷脂最大.     

中国典型土壤中铅的生物可给性的影响因素分析与健康风险评估

土壤铅污染及其危害备受关注。作为评估其对人体健康风险的科学指标之一,土壤铅的生物可给性的影响因素仍不甚明确。采集中国5种典型土壤(红壤、褐土、黑土、棕壤和黄壤),根据国标中一类建设用地的管制值制备成800 mg·kg^-1的铅污染土壤样品,利用先进的基于生理学的体外试验方法(改进的PBET模型)研究经口部摄入的土壤铅的生物可给性及其对人体的健康风险,进而从土壤理化性质和铅的赋存形态角度,全面综合地探讨土壤铅的生物可给性的影响因素,并分析不同土壤间差异的原因。结果表明,土壤铅在胃阶段的生物可给性为72.7%—82.6%,各类型土壤间差异极显著,其中红壤较高而黑土较低;进入小肠阶段后,土壤铅的生物可给性极显著降低至22.8%—27.7%,各类型土壤间无显著差异。土壤铅对人体的健康风险评估结果与之相同。对儿童而言,土壤铅在胃阶段的非致癌风险达到可接受限值的2.1倍;且整体而言,土壤铅对儿童的非致癌风险平均达到成人的7.6倍,必须加以重视。此外,土壤铅的生物可给性与土壤pH、有机质质量分数和迁移系数均存在高度显著相关性,其中,土壤pH是影响土壤铅在胃肠道的生物可给性的主导因子。通过体外试验可直接、简便而准确地获取土壤铅的生物可给性信息,建议在今后实地的污染土壤健康风险评估工作中引入该方法。该研究成果将为铅污染土壤健康风险评估工作提供准确的科学依据与有价值的参考。     

铅暴露对人体健康风险评价的模型综述

铅是一种在暴露环境下,可以通过手口途径或者皮肤接触而进入人体,从而对人体许多组织器官都产生毒性作用的重金属,其对儿童的危害尤为突出.我国对暴露在铅环境下人体健康的风险评价研究起步较晚,基于血铅指标的铅污染土壤风险评估方法导则仍在探讨建立中.而国外已经存在一些较为成熟的用于成人及儿童的铅暴露吸收和生物动力学模型,其中被广泛接受和使用的是成人血铅模型(ALM)以及儿童在铅中的综合暴露吸收生物动力学模型(IEUBK).前者描述了关于非居住区土壤中铅暴露物对成人风险的评估,且重点针对污染土壤的铅暴露物所导致的孕妇体内胎儿的血铅浓度进行评估;后者则重点预测6—84个月的儿童在铅的综合暴露下的健康风险.本文旨在通过对这些模型进行对比总结,从而提出可用于我国铅污染风险评估的理论依据及指导方法.     

基于土壤酶活性变化的铅污染土壤修复基准

近年来,污染土壤修复技术发展很快,而污染土壤修复标准的建立则相对迟缓。为了推进我国该领域的工作,对铅胁迫下土壤酶活性（如过氧化氢酶,磷酸酶,脲酶）随时间的变化进行了研究,以确定棕壤土中铅的土壤修复基准。结果表明：土壤中的铅能够刺激土壤中过氧化氢酶活性的增加,但随着土壤铅浓度的增加,这种刺激作用逐渐减小。土壤过氧化氢酶活性不宜作为铅污染土壤的生物标记物。土壤磷酸酶活性没有一致的变化规律,土壤磷酸酶活性不能作为铅污染土壤的生物标记物。在整个实验时间范围内,土壤脲酶活性与土壤中铅的浓度具有明显的剂量-效应关系（P〈0.01）,土壤脲酶活性可以作为铅污染土壤生物标记物。以土壤脲酶抑制率降低25%为依据,确定棕壤中铅的土壤修复基准为94mg·kg-1,以土壤脲酶抑制率降低45%为依据,确定棕壤中铅的土壤修复基准为178mg·kg-1。     

污染土壤中铅、砷的生物可给性研究进展

土壤铅、砷污染已成为重要的环境问题,并可对人体健康造成严重危害。对食物链途径的有效控制使得从口部无意摄入的土壤铅、砷对人体,特别是对儿童铅、砷摄入总量的贡献率越来越大,甚至成为主要来源。土壤中铅、砷直接进入人体的消化系统并可被人体胃肠道溶解出的部分称为其生物可给性。有效、准确地判定土壤中铅、砷的生物可给性已经成为解决儿童铅、砷中毒的关键科学问题。因此,有关土壤中铅、砷的生物可给性及其在人体健康风险评价中的应用受到了越来越多的关注。文章综述了污染土壤中铅、砷生物可给性的研究方法及各方法的优缺点,并从土壤性质、模拟胃肠条件等方面分析了影响土壤中铅、砷生物可给性的主要因素和存在的问题,还进一步论述了土壤中铅、砷生物可给性在人体健康风险评价中的应用。最后,提出了今后该领域应重点加强土壤铅、砷生物可给性的标准参考物、模拟胃肠条件的优化以及土壤铅、砷生物可给性在人体健康风险评价中的应用等方面的研究。以期充分发挥铅、砷等环境污染物的生物可给性研究方法的潜力,更好地为控制土壤污染、保护人类健康服务。     

有机肥对铅在土壤中形态分配的影响

为了解铅污染商品有机肥对培养土壤中铅形态的影响以及低铅含量有机肥对外源铅污染土壤中铅形态分配的影响,在海南采集了4种商品有机肥样品,进行有机肥与土壤铅污染的老化培养实验.结果表明,原土壤中重金属铅主要以交换态(33.43%)和残渣态(30.03%)存在,随着海藻有机肥(HK01)和羊粪有机肥(DF01)施肥量的增加,处理土壤中交换态铅的比例显著降低(P0.05),有机结合态从9.56%提高到22.05%.外源铅(250 mg·kg-1)污染土壤中以交换态(36.21%)、铁锰态(27.03%)和碳酸盐结合态铅(23.54%)为主;随着有机肥料添加量的增大,格瑞龙有机肥处理后,污染土壤中的交换态铅的比例有所下降,添加量为10%时比例最低为27.80%;有机结合态和残渣态铅的比例上升,在20%时比例最大为13.68%、13.35%.鱼蛋白豆粕有机肥处理的土壤中交换态铅和碳酸盐结合态铅比例下降,在添加量为20%时比例分别降低到11.75%和11.89%,铁锰氧化物结合态铅变化不显著;铅主要转入有机结合态铅和残渣态,平均增长比例分别为8.42%、3.03%.施用有机肥经过足够长时间的老化均会使土壤中的有效性高的铅转化成稳定态的铅,因此有机肥对铅污染的土壤的修复作用较大.但是由于重金属铅的移动性差,会累积在土壤表层,施用有机肥前还是要经过检测,选用相对安全的有机肥改良土壤.     

土壤中铅的吸附-解吸行为研究进展

铅是重要的土壤重金属污染元素之一，了解铅在土壤中的物理化学行为，有利于预防和修复土壤的铅污染。土壤中铅的吸附-解吸行为，依吸附机理的不同，分为专性吸附和非专性吸附。土壤铅吸附的机理还存在不同的观点，如水解吸附／非水解吸附机理，单分子吸附／双分子吸附机理等。影响土壤中铅吸附-解吸行为的主要因素，有土壤矿物组成、土壤有机质、pH、温度、竞争离子等。文章最后对描述土壤铅吸附过程的主要数学方程(Langmuir方程、Freundlich方程和Temkin方程)作了论述。     

石灰对重金属铅影响玉米生长的抑制效应研究

采用盆栽试验,研究了在施用石灰改良的条件下,土壤重金属铅污染对玉米生长的影响。结果表明:土壤重金属铅污染质量分数越高,玉米吸收重金属铅越多,对玉米的生长影响越大。石灰对重金属铅影响玉米生长的抑制效应表现在株高、叶面积、根容积等,改良处理与单一铅污染的处理差异显著。玉米的不同部位对重金属铅吸收由多到少的顺序为根→茎、叶→籽实。     

两种油料作物秸秆生物炭对土壤中铅的钝化修复

随着经济的发展和工业化进程的加快,土壤重金属污染问题日益严重,而利用比表面积大、孔隙结构丰富的环境友好型材料生物炭对重金属污染土壤进行钝化修复具有重要的现实意义。采用人工模拟铅污染土壤进行培养试验,以3%的比例分别施加油菜(Brassica campestris L.)秸秆生物炭(BRS)和胡麻(Sesamum indicum)秸秆生物炭(BFS),研究了两种生物炭对铅污染土壤中Pb形态变化的影响。通过施加生物炭后土壤pH、阳离子交换量(CEC)、土壤有机质(SOM)的变化,结合扫描电镜(SEM)、Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET)比表面积及孔径分析和X射线衍射(XRD)等表征手段对生物炭进行形貌和结构分析,探讨了两种生物炭对土壤铅的形态转化影响机制,为生物炭修复铅污染土壤提供科学依据。结果表明,与对照组相比,施加BRS和BFS后土壤pH值分别升高了0.79和0.98,CEC分别升高了13.97 cmol·kg~(-1)和15.92 cmol·kg~(-1),SOM分别升高了31.031 3 g·kg~(-1)和36.247 7 g·kg~(-1),但均未达到显著性差异;碳酸盐结合态铅含量降幅最为显著,分别为10.89%和9.7%,可交换态、铁锰氧化物结合态和有机态铅含量略有降低,而残渣态铅含量增幅较大,分别达到了18.01%和17.56%。铅形态变化是土壤pH升高、CEC及SOM含量增加共同作用的结果。可交换态、碳酸盐结合态铅含量与土壤pH、CEC、SOM达到极显著相关。综上,两种生物炭对铅污染土壤具有良好的钝化修复效果。     

铅锌冶炼厂渣堆场周边土壤铅污染特征

金属冶炼过程留下的废渣经过雨水冲刷及渗滤液等的作用使残留在废渣中的重金属发生迁移转化，导致渣堆场下及周边土壤受到重金属污染。了解冶炼厂渣堆场下及周边土壤重金属污染状况对场地修复及土地利用规划均有重大意义。本研究调查了湖南某铅锌冶炼厂渣堆场0~4 km内三个采样区0~20 cm表层土壤及0~100 cm深度土壤中铅的污染状况，采用单项污染指数法进行铅污染评价，并分析了铅纵向迁移随深度变化和横向迁移随距离变化的分布特征。结果表明，铅锌冶炼厂渣堆场下及周边0~1 km范围内土壤受到了铅污染，渣堆场下、距渣堆场10 m处及1 km处表层土壤中重金属铅的质量分数分别可达775.25、645.33和309.80 mg·kg^-1，超过了当地土壤中铅的背景值，也超过了土壤二级质量标准甚至三级质量标准。三个采样区的铅污染指数分别为2.6、2.1及1.03，污染等级均为Ⅱ级，污染程度为轻度污染。三个采样区土壤中铅污染主要集中于0~20 cm土壤层中，铅的质量分数分别达775.25，645.33和309.80 mg·kg^-1，20~100 cm土壤层中铅的质量分数低于0~20 cm的，分别在88.48~120.96 mg·kg-1、235.01~380.16 mg·kg^-1及309.80~59.32 mg·kg^-1之间。渣堆场下土壤中的铅从0~20cm土壤层往下至20~100cm土壤层迁移量远小于距渣场10 m处及1 km处的。三个采样区表层0~20 cm土壤层中铅的变化规律为距渣堆场0 m（渣堆场下）〉距渣堆场10 m〉距渣堆场1 km〉距渣堆场4 km，质量分数随距离增加而降低。20~40 cm及40~60 cm土壤层中铅的变化规律为距渣堆场10 m〉距渣堆场1 km〉距渣堆场0 m处（渣堆场下）〉距渣堆场4 km，60~80 cm及80~100 cm土壤层的变化规律为距渣堆场10 m〉距渣堆场0 m处（渣堆场下）〉距渣堆场1 km〉距渣堆场4 km，铅的质量分数随距离的增加先升高后降低。     

Geochemistry,mineralogy, solid-phase fractionation and oral bioaccessibility of lead in urban soils of Lisbon

An urban survey of Lisbon, the largest city in Portugal, was carried out to investigate its environmental burden, emphasizing metallic elements and their public health impacts. This paper examines the geochemistry of lead (Pb) and its influence on human health data. A total of 51 soil samples were collected from urban recreational areas used by children to play outdoors. The semi-quantitative analysis of Pb was carried out by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after an acid digestion. X-ray diffraction was used to characterize the soil mineralogy. The solid-phase distribution of Pb in the urban soils was investigated on a subset of 7 soils, out of a total of 51 samples, using a non-specific sequential extraction method coupled with chemometric analysis. Oral bioaccessibility measurements were obtained using the Unified BARGE Method developed by the Bioaccessibility Research Group of Europe. The objectives of the study are as follows: (1) investigation of Pb solid-phase distribution; (2) interpretation of Pb oral bioaccessibility measurements; (3) integration of metal geochemistry with human health data; and (4) understanding the influence of geochemistry and mineralogy on oral bioaccessibility. The results show that the bioaccessible fraction of Pb is lower when major metal fractions are associated with less soluble soil phases such as Fe oxyhydroxides, and more increased when the metal is in the highly soluble carbonate phase. However, there is some evidence that the proportion of carbonates in the soil environment is also a key control over the oral bioaccessibility of Pb, irrespective of its solid-phase fractionation.     

小白菜的干鲜状态对其铅的生物可给性的影响(Effects of Dry and Fresh States of Brassica chinensis on the Oral Bioaccessibility of Lead)

为了研究小白菜的干鲜状态对其铅的生物可给性的影响,设置了对照(不添加铅,本底值为32.37mg·kg-1)、300mg·kg-1和500mg·kg-13种土壤铅浓度处理的盆栽实验,并将收获的小白菜分别以干样和鲜样进行基于生理学的invitro人工胃肠模拟实验,测定其中铅的生物可给性.结果表明:栽种2个月后,小白菜铅含量分别达到0.38mg·kg-1、4.55mg·kg-1和12.50mg·kg-1(干重),对铅的富集系数分别为0.012、0.015和0.025,可能存在较高的健康风险.invitro实验表明:样品干鲜状态、铅浓度处理以及二者的交互效应是影响铅的生物可给性的重要因素.无论干样还是鲜样,铅在胃阶段和小肠阶段的溶解态量均随样品铅含量的增加而线性增加;对于同一铅浓度处理,鲜样中铅的生物可给性无论在胃阶段还是小肠阶段均显著高于干样(p<0.01).使用干样进行健康风险评价可能会低估小白菜中的铅对人体的健康风险.     

土壤中金属的生物可给性及其动态变化的研究

土壤中金属的生物可给性常应用于人体健康风险评价，如能准确地判定土壤中金属在胃肠阶段不同时间的溶出动态，研究者就可以更好地分析其对人体的健康风险。本文采集5种不同地区的重金属污染的土壤，利用改进的PBET方法，分别在胃阶段的20、40、60、80 min以及小肠阶段的1、2、3、4、5 h时取样并分析，探究土壤中8种金属元素（As、Al、Cd、Cr、Fe、Mn、Ni、Pb）的生物可给性和溶出动态，探讨造成金属溶出动态变化的影响因素，对其溶出机理进行初步探究。研究结果表明，Fe、Al的生物可给性较低，并且在胃肠阶段差异较小。与胃阶段相比，土壤中Pb、Cd的生物可给性在小肠阶段明显降低，而As、Mn、Cr、Ni的生物可给性在小肠阶段均升高。升幅最大的两个元素是Ni、Cr，其小肠阶段的平均生物可给性分别升高61.4%、29.9%。在溶出量随时间变化方面，在胃阶段，假定1 h时溶出率为100%。20 min时，土壤中Fe、Ni的平均溶出率较低，分别为59.3%、56.8%，其他6种金属元素的平均溶出率在71.2%~79.5%。As、Cd、Pb的溶出速率是先快后慢，Cr和Ni的溶出速率是先慢后快，而Fe、Mn、Al的溶出速率基本保持不变。在小肠阶段，假定4 h时溶出率为100%。Al、As、Cd、Mn的溶出率基本不变。1 h时，土壤中Cr（土壤A除外）、Ni的平均溶出率最低，分别为31.5%、32.7%，而5 h时，Fe、Cr、Ni的溶出率还在升高。由此可见，土壤中不同金属元素的生物可给性以及溶出动态是有明显差异的。     

Lead availability in soils from Portugal’s Centre Region with special reference to bioaccessibility

Previous environmental biomonitoring studies indicated higher environmental lead (Pb) pollution levels at the districts of Aveiro and Leiria (Portugal). In evaluating the risk for human health, which is associated with contaminated soils after oral uptake, total soil concentrations have generally been held against criteria established from toxicological studies based upon the assumption that the uptake of the contaminant is similar in the toxicological studies and from the soils assessed. This assumption is not always valid, as most toxicological studies are carried out with soluble forms of the contaminants, whereas many soil contaminants are or become embedded in the soil matrix and thus exhibit limited availability. This study intends to estimate the soluble fraction of Pb in the soils from central Portugal, and to assess the bioaccessibility of Pb and, hence, infer exposure and risk for human health. Yet, as the physical–chemical properties of the soil exert some control over the solubility of Pb in the surface environment, the relation between such soil properties and the estimated soluble and/or bioaccessible fractions of Pb is also investigated. Other objective, with a more practical nature, was to give some contribution to find a suitable in vitro mimetic of the gastrointestinal tract environment. The results indicate relatively low total metal concentrations in the soils, even if differences between regions were observed. The Aveiro district has the higher total Pb concentration and the metal is in more soluble forms, that is, geoavailable. Soils with higher concentrations of soluble Pb show higher estimates of bioaccessible Pb. Soil pH seems to influence human bioaccessibility of Pb.     

Assessment of bioaccessibility and exposure risk of arsenic and lead in urban soils of Guangzhou City,China

Soil ingestion is an important human exposure pathway of heavy metals in urban environments with heavy metal contaminated soils. This study aims to assess potential health risks of heavy metals in soils sampled from an urban environment where high frequency of human exposure may be present. A bioaccessibility test is used, which is an in vitro gastrointestinal (IVG) test of soluble metals under simulated physiological conditions of the human digestion system. Soil samples for assessing the oral bioaccessibility of arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) were collected from a diverse range of different land uses, including urban parks, roadsides, industrial sites and residential areas in Guangzhou City, China. The soil samples contained a wide range of total As (10.2 to 61.0 mg kg⁻¹) and Pb (38.4 to 348 mg kg⁻¹) concentrations. The bioaccessibility of As and Pb in the soil samples were 11.3 and 39.1% in the stomach phase, and 1.9 and 6.9% in the intestinal phase, respectively. The As and Pb bioaccessibility in the small intestinal phase was significantly lower than those in the gastric phase. Arsenic bioaccessibility was closely influenced by soil pH and organic matter content (r ² = 0.451, p < 0.01) in the stomach phase, and by organic matter, silt and total As contents (r ² = 0.604, p < 0.001) in the intestinal phase. The general risk of As and Pb intake for children from incidental ingestion of soils is low, compared to their maximum doses, without causing negative human health effects. The exposure risk of Pb in the soils ranked in the order of: industrial area/urban parks > residential area/road side. Although the risk of heavy metal exposure from direct ingestion of urban soils is relatively low, the risk of inhalation of fine soil particulates in the air remains to be evaluated.     

Assessing Cd,Pb, Zn human bioaccessibility in smelter-contaminated agricultural topsoils (northern France)

The extractability of Cd, Pb, and Zn was investigated in contaminated agricultural topsoils located in an area highly affected by the past atmospheric emissions of two smelters in northern France in order to assess their mobility and human bioaccessibility. The determination of Cd, Pb, and Zn bioaccessibility (Unified Barge Method, in vitro test) was made to evaluate the absolute trace element (TE) bioavailability. The results highlighted differences in bioaccessibility between Cd, Pb, and Zn (Cd > Pb > Zn). The mean values of the bioaccessible fractions of Cd, Pb, and Zn during the gastric phase were 82, 55, and 33%, respectively, of the pseudototal concentrations, whereas during the gastrointestinal phase, the bioaccessible fractions of metals decreased to 45, 20, and 10%, respectively. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that human bioaccessibility was affected by various physicochemical parameters (i.e., sand, carbonates, organic matter, assimilated P, free Al oxides, and pseudototal Fe contents). Sequential extractions were performed as an indication of the TE availability in these soils. Cadmium occurred in the more available fractions, Pb was mostly present as bound by oxides, and a significant contribution to the pseudototal Zn concentration was defined as the unavailable residual form related to the crystalline structures of minerals. The concepts of bioavailability and bioaccessibility are important for quantifying the risks associated with exposure to environmental pollutants and providing more realistic information for human health.     

Elemental concentrations and in vitro bioaccessibility in Canadian background soils

Elemental concentrations and bioaccessibility were determined in background soils collected in Canada as part of the North American Geochemical Landscapes Project. The concentrations of As, Cr, Cu, Co, Ni and Zn were higher in the C-horizon (parent material) compared to 0–5 cm (surface soil), and this observation along with the regional distribution suggested that most of the variability in concentrations of these elements were governed by the bedrock characteristics. Unlike the above-stated elements, Pb and Cd concentrations were higher in the surface layer reflecting the potential effects of anthropogenic deposition. Elemental bioaccessibility was variable decreasing in the order Cd > Pb > Cu > Zn > Ni > Co > As > Cr for the surface soils. With the exception of As, bioaccessibility was generally higher in the C-horizon soils compared to the 0–5 cm soils. The differences in metal bioaccessibility between the 0–5 cm and the C-horizon and among the provinces may reflect geological processes and speciation. The mean, median or 95th percentile bioaccessibility for As, Cr, Cu, Co, Ni and Pb were all below 100 %, suggesting that the use of site-specific bioaccessibility results for these elements will yield more accurate estimation of the risk associated with oral bioavailability for sites where soil ingestion is the major contributor of human health risk.     

The relationship between soil geochemistry and the bioaccessibility of trace elements in playground soil

A total of 32 samples of surficial soil were collected from 16 playground areas in Madrid (Spain), in order to investigate the importance of the geochemistry of the soil on subsequent bioaccessibility of trace elements. The in vitro bioaccessibility of As, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn was evaluated by means of two extraction processes that simulate the gastric environment and one that reproduces a gastric?+?intestinal digestion sequence. The results of the in vitro bioaccessibility were compared against aqua regia extractions (“total” concentration), and it was found that total concentrations of As, Cu, Pb and Zn were double those of bioaccessible values, whilst that of Cr was ten times higher. Whereas the results of the gastric?+?intestinal extraction were affected by a high uncertainty, both gastric methods offered very similar and consistent results, with bioaccessibilities following the order: As?=?Cu?=?Pb?=?Zn?>?Co?>?Ni?>?Cr, and ranging from 63 to 7?%. Selected soil properties including pH, organic matter, Fe and CaCO₃ content were determined to assess their influence on trace element bioaccessibility, and it was found that Cu, Pb and Zn were predominantly bound to organic matter and, to a lesser extent, Fe oxides. The former fraction was readily accessible in the gastric solution, whereas Fe oxides seemed to recapture negatively charged chloride complexes of these elements in the gastric solution, lowering their bioaccessibility. The homogeneous pH of the playground soils included in the study does not influence trace element bioaccessibility to any significant extent except for Cr, where the very low gastric accessibility seems to be related to the strongly pH-dependent formation of complexes with organic matter. The results for As, which have been previously described and discussed in detail in Mingot et al. (Chemosphere 84: 1386–1391, 2011), indicate a high gastric bioaccessibility for this element as a consequence of its strong association with calcium carbonate and the ease with which these bonds are broken in the gastric solution. The calculation of risk assessments are therefore dependant on the methodology used and the specific environment they address. This has impacts on management strategies formulated to ensure that the most vulnerable of society, children, can live and play without adverse consequences to their health.     

Chemical transformations of lead compounds under humid conditions: implications for bioaccessibility

This short communication documents chemical transformations caused by weathering of two Pb compounds that commonly occur in house dust. Chamber experiments were designed to simulate humid indoor environment conditions to determine whether Pb compounds undergo chemical transformations influencing bioaccessibility. Reference compounds of Pb metal (12 % bioaccessibility) and Pb sulfate (14 % bioaccessibility) were subjected to an oxygenated, humidified atmosphere in closed chambers for 4 months. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy were used to characterize the main Pb species, and the change in Pb bioaccessibility was determined using a simulated gastric acid digestion. At the end of the weathering period a small amount of Pb carbonate (9 % of total Pb) appeared in the Pb sulfate sample. Weathering of the Pb metal sample resulted in the formation of two compounds, hydrocerussite (Pb hydroxyl carbonate) and Pb oxide, in significant amounts (each accounted for 26 % of total Pb). The formation of highly bioaccessible Pb carbonate (73 % bioaccessibility), hydrocerussite (76 % bioaccessibility), and Pb oxide (67 % bioaccessibility) during weathering resulted in a measurable increase in the overall Pb bioaccessibility of both samples, which was significant (p = .002) in the case of the Pb metal sample. This study demonstrates that Pb compounds commonly found in indoor dust can ‘age’ into more bioaccessible forms under humid indoor conditions.