Abstract
An investigation for assessing pulmonary bioaccessibility of metals from reference materials is presented using simulated lung fluids. The objective of this paper was to contribute to an enhanced understanding of airborne particulate matter and its toxic potential following inhalation. A large set of metallic elements (Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn) was investigated using three lung fluids (phosphate-buffered saline, Gamble’s solution and artificial lysosomal fluid) on three standard reference materials representing different types of particle sources. Composition of the leaching solution and four solid-to-liquid (S/L) ratios were tested. The results showed that bioaccessibility was speciation- (i.e., distribution) and element-dependent, with percentages varying from 0.04% for Pb to 86.0% for Cd. The higher extraction of metallic elements was obtained with the artificial lysosomal fluid, in which a relative stability of bioaccessibility was observed in a large range of S/L ratios from 1/1000 to 1/10,000. For further investigations, it is suggested that this method be used to assess lung bioaccessibility of metals from smelter-impacted dusts.
Highlights
Because a wide variety of natural and anthropogenic materials and chemicals are recognized to influence human health, a great deal of research has been focused on the determination of harmful elements in airborne particulate matter (APM)
The main earth materials linked to the human health include: (1) mineral dusts of asbestos and some other asbestiform or fibrous minerals, crystalline silica and coal generated by the natural weathering of rocks and by anthropogenic activities; (2) solid, gaseous and aqueous wastes or byproducts of mining, mineral processing, smelting and energy production; (3) construction materials such as cement, concrete, aggregate, mineral and glass fiber insulation, and gypsum wallboard; (4) soils and dusts containing metals, organic contaminants or pathogens; (5) volcanic ashes and gases [1]
To contribute to an enhanced understanding of APM and its toxic potential following inhalation, the present study aims to assess the bioaccessibility of metals (Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn, some of them being known as potentially toxic and/or largely present in APM) from three standard reference materials (BCR-723, NIST 2710a and NIST 1648a)
Summary
Because a wide variety of natural and anthropogenic materials and chemicals are recognized to influence human health, a great deal of research has been focused on the determination of harmful elements in airborne particulate matter (APM). The main earth materials linked to the human health include: (1) mineral dusts of asbestos and some other asbestiform or fibrous minerals, crystalline silica and coal generated by the natural weathering of rocks and by anthropogenic activities (such as mining, industrial, construction and demolition activities); (2) solid, gaseous and aqueous wastes or byproducts of mining, mineral processing, smelting and energy production; (3) construction materials such as cement, concrete, aggregate, mineral and glass fiber insulation, and gypsum wallboard;.
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