The importance of solid-phase distribution on the oral bioaccessibility of Ni and Cr in soils overlying Palaeogene basalt lavas, Northern Ireland

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) including nickel and chromium are often present in soils overlying basalt at concentrations above regulatory guidance values due to the presence of these elements in underlying geology. Oral bioaccessibility testing allows the risk posed by PTEs to human health to be assessed; however, bioaccessibility is controlled by factors including mineralogy, particle size, solid-phase speciation and encapsulation. X-ray diffraction was used to characterise the mineralogy of 12 soil samples overlying Palaeogene basalt lavas in Northern Ireland, and non-specific sequential extraction coupled with chemometric analysis was used to determine the distribution of elements amongst soil components in 3 of these samples. The data obtained were related to total concentration and oral bioaccessible concentration to determine whether a relationship exists between the overall concentrations of PTEs, their bioaccessibility and the soils mineralogy and geochemistry. Gastric phase bioaccessible fraction (BAF %) ranged from 0.4 to 5.4 % for chromium in soils overlying basalt and bioaccessible and total chromium concentrations are positively correlated. In contrast, the range of gastric phase BAF for nickel was greater (1.4–43.8 %), while no significant correlation was observed between bioaccessible and total nickel concentrations. However, nickel BAF was inversely correlated with total concentration. Solid-phase fractionation information showed that bioaccessible nickel was associated with calcium carbonate, aluminium oxide, iron oxide and clay-related components, while bioaccessible chromium was associated with clay-related components. This suggests that weathering significantly affects nickel bioaccessibility, but does not have the same effect on the bioaccessibility of chromium.     

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.     

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...     

The influence of physicochemical parameters on bioaccessibility-adjusted hazard quotients for copper,lead and zinc in different grain size fractions of urban street dusts and soils

When the hazard quotient for ingestion (HQI) of a trace element in soil and dust particles is adjusted for the element’s bioaccessibility, the HQI is typically reduced as compared to its calculation using pseudo-total element concentration. However, those studies have mostly used bulk particles (<2 mm or <250 µm), and the reduction in HQI when expressed as bioaccessible metal may not be similar among particle size fractions, the possibility probed by the present study of street dusts and soils collected in Tehran. The highest Cu, Pb and Zn near-total concentrations occurred in the finest particles of dusts and soils. Bioaccessible concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn in the particles (mg kg^?1) were obtained using simple bioaccessibility extraction test (SBET). The bioaccessibility (%) did not vary much among near-total concentrations. In the bulk (<250 µm) sample, the bioaccessible concentration of Cu and Pb increased as the pH of sample increased, while Zn bioaccessibility (%) in the bulk particles was influenced by organic matter and cation exchange capacity. X-ray diffraction identified sulfide and sulfate minerals in all of the size-fractionated particles, which are insoluble to slightly soluble in acidic conditions and included most of the Cu and Pb in the samples. The only Zn-bearing mineral identified was hemimorphite, which would be highly soluble in the SBET conditions. The calculated HQI suggested potential non-carcinogenic health risk to children and adults from ingestions of soils and dusts regardless of particle size consideration, in the order of Zn > Pb ≥ Cu. The HQI calculated from near-total metal was not much different for particle size classes relative to bulk particles; however, the bioaccessibility percent-adjusted HQI for Pb was higher for the smaller particles than the bulk. This work is novel in its approach to compare HQI for a bulk sample of particles with its composite particle size fractions.     

Oral bioaccessibility of metals in an urban catchment,Newcastle upon Tyne

The metal content was determined in soils from a former, historic, contaminated land site and now a ‘green’ public open space in N.E. England. Using a systematic sampling grid approach, 32 soil samples were taken from locations across the site and analyzed for six potentially toxic elements (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn). Initially, the pseudo-total metal content of the soils was determined using acid digestion followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis. This data was evaluated against published soil guideline value (SGV) and generic assessment criteria (GAC) values; it was found that 21% (i.e., 41 samples) exceeded the stated lower values. The data was then compared to the oral bioaccessibility of the soils, which was assessed by an in-vitro gastrointestinal extraction procedure. The results, determined as the % BAF, indicated that overall bioaccessibility was low (<10% BAF) for all the elements studied; the exception was Cd. Given that SGV/GAC values are based on generic land-use categories and not a public open space, as investigated in this work, further work is recommended on developing a qualitative risk assessment at the site to estimate the risks posed to human health via the direct and indirect soil ingestion pathway.     

Arsenic and lead contamination in urban soils of Villa de la Paz (Mexico) affected by historical mine wastes and its effect on children’s health studied by micronucleated exfoliated cells assay

Environmental geochemical and health studies were carried out in urban areas of Villa de la Paz, S.L.P. (Mexico), where mining activities have been developed for more of 200 years, leading to the pollution of surface soil by arsenic and heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn). The analysis of urban soils to determine total and bioaccessibility concentrations of As and Pb, demonstrated a combined contribution of the natural and anthropogenic concentrations in the site, at levels higher than the environmental guideline values that provoke a human health risk. Contour soil mapping confirmed that historical mine waste deposits without environmental control measures, are the main source of pollution soil by As and Pb in the site. Exposure (Pb in blood and As in urine) and effect (micronucleated exfoliated cells assay) biological monitoring were then carried out in the childhood population of the site and in a control site. The exposure biological monitoring demonstrated that at least 20–30 % of children presented Pb and As exposure values higher than the national and international maximum intervention values. The effect biomonitoring by MEC assay confirmed that there is a genotoxic damage in local childhood population that could be associated with the arsenic exposure in the site.     

Human bioaccessibility of Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in urban soils from the city of Torino, Italy

Several physiologically based extraction procedures have been proposed to estimate the fraction of the potentially toxic element content that would be bioaccessible in the human gastro-intestinal tract following accidental ingestion of soil. Many of these procedures are complex, they have been applied to a very limited range of soils, and most work has focussed on arsenic and lead. In the present study, a simplified, two-stage extraction, simulating the human stomach and intestine, was developed and applied to urban soil samples from ten public-access areas in the City of Torino, Italy. The human oral bioaccessibility of chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc was estimated. Lead and zinc bioaccessibilities were found to be higher in the stomach, but chromium was more bioaccessible in the intestine. Analyte concentrations were higher in roadside soils than in soils from parks. A higher proportion of the soil metal content was found in bioaccessible forms at roadsides than in parks. Comparison of the current findings with results of earlier work involving sequential extraction of the same soils indicated that the sequential procedure gave a relative, but not an absolute, indication of bioaccessibility. Calculations based on the bioaccessible analyte concentrations suggest that ingestion of only 2–3 g of some of the roadside soil samples from Torino could deliver the tolerable daily oral intake of chromium, nickel and lead to a 20-kg child. The developed procedure is useful for preliminary screening of soils and prediction of whether their bioaccessible metal contents are likely to pose a risk to human health.     

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.     

Correlation analysis as a tool to investigate the bioaccessibility of nickel, vanadium and zinc in Northern Ireland soils

Correlation analyses were conducted on nickel (Ni), vanadium (V) and zinc (Zn) oral bioaccessible fractions (BAFs) and selected geochemistry parameters to identify specific controls exerted over trace element bioaccessibility. BAFs were determined by previous research using the unified BARGE method. Total trace element concentrations and soil geochemical parameters were analysed as part of the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland Tellus Project. Correlation analysis included Ni, V and Zn BAFs against their total concentrations, pH, estimated soil organic carbon (SOC) and a further eight element oxides. BAF data were divided into three separate generic bedrock classifications of basalt, lithic arenite and mudstone prior to analysis, resulting in an increase in average correlation coefficients between BAFs and geochemical parameters. Sulphur trioxide and SOC, spatially correlated with upland peat soils, exhibited significant positive correlations with all BAFs in gastric and gastro-intestinal digestion phases, with such effects being strongest in the lithic arenite bedrock group. Significant negative relationships with bioaccessible Ni, V and Zn and their associated total concentrations were observed for the basalt group. Major element oxides were associated with reduced oral trace element bioaccessibility, with Al₂O₃ resulting in the highest number of significant negative correlations followed by Fe₂O₃. spatial mapping showed that metal oxides were present at reduced levels in peat soils. The findings illustrate how specific geology and soil geochemistry exert controls over trace element bioaccessibility, with soil chemical factors having a stronger influence on BAF results than relative geogenic abundance. In general, higher Ni, V and Zn bioaccessibility is expected in peat soil types.     

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.     

Use of a physiologically based extraction test to estimate the human bioaccessibility of potentially toxic elements in urban soils from the city of Glasgow,UK

A simple, two-stage, physiologically based extraction has been applied to assess the human bioaccessibility of potentially toxic elements (PTE) in 20 urban soils from a major UK city. Chromium and iron bioaccessibilities were found to be markedly higher in the intestinal phase, whilst lead and zinc bioaccessibilities were higher in the stomach. Copper and manganese bioaccessibilities were generally similar under both extraction conditions. Principal component analysis was used to study relationships amongst bioaccessible element concentrations and land use. Distinctions could be observed between the distributions of the urban metals—copper, lead and zinc—and metals predominantly of geogenic origin, such as iron. There was no clear delineation between roadside soils and soils obtained from public parks. Bioaccessible analyte concentrations were found to be correlated with pseudototal (aqua regia soluble) analyte concentrations for all elements except iron. Results of the BCR sequential extraction did not, in general, provide a good indication of human bioaccessibility. Comparison of bioaccessible PTE concentrations with toxicological data indicated that lead is the element of greatest concern in these soils but that levels are unlikely to pose a health risk to children with average soil intake.     

Enrichment and solubility of trace metals associated with magnetic extracts in industrially derived contaminated soils

Magnetic fractions (MFs) in industrially derived contaminated soils were extracted with a magnetic separation procedure. Total, soluble, and bioaccessible Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn in the MFs and non-magnetic fractions (NMFs) were analyzed using aqua regia and extraction tests, such as deionized water, toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), and gastric juice simulation (GJST) test. Compared with the non-magnetic fractions, soil MFs were enriched with Fe, Mn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, and Ni. Extraction tests indicated that soil MFs contained higher water, TCLP, and GJST-extractable Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn concentrations than the soil NMFs. The TCLP-extractable Pb concentration in the MFs exceeded the USEPA hazardous waste criteria, suggesting that soil MFs have a potentially environmental pollution risk. Solubility of trace metals was variable in the different extraction tests, which has the order of GJST?>?TCLP?>?water. TCLP test showed Cu and Zn were more mobile than Cr and Pb while bioaccessibility of trace metal defined by GJST test showed the order of Cu?≈?Cr?≈?Zn?>?Pb. These findings suggested that the MFs in the industrially derived contaminated soils had higher possibility of polluting water bodies, and careful environmental impact assessment was necessary.     

Concentrations of Potentially Toxic Metals in Urban Soils of Seville: Relationship with Different Land Uses

Fifty-two samples of surface soils were taken in the urban area of Seville, to assess the possible influence of different land uses on their metal contents and their relationship with several soil properties. The samples corresponded to five categories or land uses: agricultural, parks, ornamental gardens, riverbanks, and roadsides. Sequential extraction of metal according to the procedure proposed by the former Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) was carried out, and pseudo-total (aqua regia soluble) metal contents were determined. Lower organic C, total N and available P and K contents were found in riverbank samples, probably due to the lack of manuring of those sites, left in a natural status. In contrast, significantly higher electrical conductivity was found in those sites, due to the tidal influence of the nearby Atlantic Ocean. Other land uses did not show significant differences in the general properties. Concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn, both aqua-regia soluble and sequentially extracted, were clearly higher in soils from ornamental gardens, whereas the concentrations in the riverbank samples were slightly lower than the other categories. In contrast, other metals (Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni) were uniformly distributed throughout all land uses. A strong statistical association is found among the concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn and organic C, suggesting that the larger contents of these metals in ornamental gardens are partly due to organic amendments added to those sites more frequently than to other kinds of sites. Considering the conclusions of previous studies, heavy traffic can also contribute to those `urban’ metals in urban soils. Periodic monitoring of the concentrations of urban metals in busy city centres and of the quality of amendments added to soils of recreational areas are recommended.     

Human health risk from Pb in urban street dust in northern UK cities

The presence of Pb in the environment can cause significant health problems. These issues are exasperated when the lead is in a more amenable form for potential ingestion. This study investigates the potential human health risk from Pb in urban street dusts. The lead levels in urban street dust in major city centres in northern UK have been compared to levels determined in 35 cities around the world. With a few exceptions, it was noted that the mean Pb levels in this study exceeded those found in other cities worldwide. Samples (n = 15) of urban street dust were collected across five city centres, and specifically in areas in which pedestrians are likely to concentrate, as well as near historical buildings. Typical total lead concentrations across all sampling sites ranged from 306 to 558 mg/kg. The human health risk was assessed using oral bioaccessibility testing of the urban street dust. The mean oral bioaccessibility data, irrespective of site and sample location, were in the range 43 ± 9 %. The total and bioaccessible concentrations of lead were compared to the estimated tolerable daily intake (TDI_oral) values based on unintentional soil/dust consumption. It is noted, in all cases, that the maximum estimated lead daily intake exceeded the TDI_oral. An alternative approach for assessing the daily intake is proposed based on the actual measured air quality in selected cities on the same day as the sampled urban dust.     

Spatial distribution of potentially bioavailable metals in surface soils of a contaminated sports ground in Galway, Ireland

Assessing the environmental risk of metal contamination in soils requires the determination of both total (TCs) and bioavailable (BCs) element concentrations. A total of 200 surface (0–10 cm) soil samples were collected from an urban sports ground (South Park) in Galway, Ireland, a former landfill and dumping site, which is currently under remediation. The potential BCs of metals were measured using ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) extraction followed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry analysis, while the TCs were determined using portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. It was found that Zn was primarily present in the insoluble residue (EDTA un-extractable) fraction in soils, with the median ratio of BCs/TCs 0.27. However, Pb and Cu had higher ratios of BCs/TCs (median values of 0.60 and 0.39, respectively) suggesting that they are potentially more bioavailable in the soils. The spatial distribution maps showed that both TCs and BCs for Cu, Pb and Zn in the study area were spatially heterogeneous. It was found that the BCs exhibited generally similar spatial patterns as their TCs of Cu, Pb and Zn: high values were mainly located in the west, north-east and south-east portions of the study area, where only a thin layer of topsoil existed. It was recommended that the current remediation action for this site needs to be carried out on an urgent basis.     

Seasonal Variations and Chemical Forms of Heavy Metals in Soils and Dusts from the Satellite Cities of Seoul, Korea

This research investigated heavy metal pollution of soils and dusts in two representative satellite cities of Seoul, Korea and studied the seasonal variations in metal concentrations through the rainy season and the chemical forms of metals using a sequential extraction analysis. The metal dispersion pattern was illustrated to match with urban structure. Soil and dust samples were collected from the cities of Uijeongbu and Koyang, which are the northern and northwestern satellite cities of Seoul (the capital), before and after rainy season. Concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn were higher than those of the world averages for soils, and their levels decreased after rain, particularly in highly contaminated samples. Relatively high pH values were found in roadside soils, but no seasonal variation was found after the rainy season. The three metals (Cu, Pb and Zn) in soils and dusts were associated with various chemical fractions of soils and dusts as distinguished by the sequential extraction scheme, and a strong similarity of metal association between soils and dusts was found, which indicates that airborne dust may be a principle source of soil contamination. Copper is uniformly distributed, and Pb is largely associated with the reducible phase. There is an appreciable proportion of total Zn in the exchangeable/water-acid soluble fraction. After the rainy season, the most soluble fractions in soils and dusts were leached away. In terms of mobility and bioavailability of metals in soils and dusts, the order Zn >> Cu > Pb is suggested. Geographical variations of total metals corresponded well with urbanised areas of cities, especially the industrial complex and major motorways.     

Ecological and human health risks from metal(loid)s in peri-urban soil in Nanjing,China

In order to investigate the ecological and human health risks of metal(loid)s (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cd, Mn, Cr, and As) in peri-urban soils, 43 surface soil samples were collected from the peri-urban area around Nanjing, a megacity in China. The average contents were 1.19, 67.8, 37.6, 105, 167, 44.6, 722, and 50.8 mg kg^?1 for Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cu, Mn, and As, respectively. A significant positive correlation was found between Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Mn, and As (p < 0.01), and Cr had a significant positive correlation with Ni (p < 0.01). Geoaccumulation indices indicate the presence of Cd and As contamination in all of the peri-urban soil samples. Potential ecological risk indices show that the metal(loid)s in the soil could result in higher ecological risks. Cd is the main contributor to the risk, followed by As. The levels of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Mn, and As in stomach and intestinal phases show a positive linear correlation with their total contents. Mn, Zn, Ni, Cd, and Pb in stomach phase showed higher bioaccessibility, while in intestinal phase, Cu, Cr, and As had the higher bioaccessibility. The carcinogenic risk in children and adults posed by As, Pb, and Cr via ingestion was deemed acceptable. The non-carcinogenic risks posed by these metal(loid)s via ingestion to children are higher than to adults and mainly result from As.     

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.     

In Vitro法评估铅污染土壤对人体的生物有效性

采用基于生理学的In Vitro实验，测定经口无意摄入的铅污染土壤在人体内的生物有效性。通过模拟人体的胃和小肠环境，研究土壤中铅被消化道吸收的最大量。结果表明，在铅污染土壤中施加羟基磷灰石后，铅对人体的生物有效性下降约20倍。