Assessment of lead bioaccessibility in peri-urban contaminated soils

Abstract

Lead (Pb) bioaccessibility was assessed in a range of peri-urban soils (n=31) with differing sources of Pb contamination, including shooting range soils, and soils affected by incinerator, historical fill, mining/smelting, and gasworks activities. A gossan soil sample was also included. Lead bioaccessibility was determined using both gastric and intestinal phases of the SBRC in vitro assay and in vitro data was then incorporated into in vivo–in vitro regression equations to calculate Pb relative bioavailability. Lead bioaccessibility ranged from 26.8–105.2% to 5.5–102.6% for gastric and intestinal phase extractions respectively. Generally, Pb bioaccessibility was highest in the shooting range soils and lowest in the gossan soil. Predictions of relative Pb bioavailability derived from in vitro data were comparable for shooting ranges soils, but highly variable for the other soils examined. For incinerator, historical fill, gasworks and gossan soils, incorporating in vitro gastric data into the in vivo–in vitro regression equation resulting in more conservative Pb relative bioavailability values than those derived using the intestinal in vitro data.