Bioaccessibility Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Research Articles

Oral Bioaccessibility of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) through Fish Consumption, Based on an in Vitro Digestion Model

An in vitro gastrointestinal digestion model was used to evaluate bioaccessibility of PAHs in 20 fish species collected from Hong Kong markets. The average bioaccessibilities of PAHs were 24.3 and 31.1%, respectively, in gastric and intestinal conditions. When bioaccessibility was taken into consideration, the values of potency equivalent concentrations (PEC) decreased from 0.53 to 0.18 ng g(-1) for freshwater fish and from 1.43 to 0.35 ng g(-1) for marine fish. This indicated that bioaccessibility should be taken into account for health risk assessment with regard to PAH contamination in fish. The relative accumulation ratios (R(nn)) of PAH congeners were significantly correlated with their physicochemical parameters and their corresponding concentrations reported in subcutaneous fats of Hong Kong residents. The data suggest that R(nn) values calculated in the present study could effectively reflect the accumulations of PAHs in the human body.

Assessment of the bioaccessibility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in topsoils from different urban functional areas using an in vitro gastrointestinal test

Profiles of the bioaccessibility of soil polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in different urban functional areas of Xiamen City, Fujian, China were investigated. A physiologically based in vitro test was used to evaluate the bioaccessibility of total and individual PAHs. There was no obvious correlation between total concentrations of PAHs and bioaccessibility during the gastrointestinal phase for the soils from different functional areas. Results showed that the bioaccessibility variation in the gastrointestinal phase (ranging from 14.6% to 63.2%) was significantly higher than that in the gastric phase (ranging from 4.9% to 21.8%). The bioaccessibility in the gastrointestinal phase was not only determined by soil organic materials but also directly related to physical and chemical properties of individual PAHs, except for two-ring PAHs. Increasing soil organic material content or decreasing ring numbers of PAHs could result in the decrease of PAH bioaccessibility. The total PAH bioaccessibility was largely contributed by individual PAHs with relatively high molecular weight.

Effect of vegetable oil addition on bioaccessibility and biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in historically contaminated soils

AbstractBACKGROUND: Bioaccessibility is often the limiting factor for the biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in soils. The present study explores the potential of amending canola oil, an economically and ecologically attractive soil additive, for the enhancement of bioaccessibility and, in consequence, biodegradation of PAH in historically contaminated, bioaccessibility limited soils.RESULTS: The amendment of canola oil (1% and 5%, w/w) to contaminated soils increased the bioaccessibility and the subsequent biodegradation of PAH with up to four rings. Residual concentrations of pyrene and fluoranthene in oil‐treated soils were 38–53% lower compared to the unamended tests. The continuous removal of bioaccessible PAH with a passive sampling system confirmed that oil amendment indeed increased bioaccessibility, leading to a lower non‐accessible PAH fraction. Canola oil amendment did, by contrast, not increase the bioaccessibility of high molecular weight PAH, likely due to their strong binding to soil organic carbon compounds.CONCLUSION: Canola oil can be used efficiently in low concentrations to render PAH up to four rings accessible for biodegradation in historically contaminated soils. Contaminants remaining in soil after treatment may pose a significantly lowered environmental risk, as is indicated by the lack of mobilisation by a solubilising agent such as canola oil. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry

Application of Response Surface Methodology to Analyze the Effects of Soil/Liquid Ratio, pH, and Incubation Time on the Bioaccessibility of PAHs from Soil in In Vitro Method

Central composite design using response surface methodology was employed to optimize soil/liquid ratio (S/L), pH, and incubation time for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) bioaccessibility from soil in a simulated gastrointestinal tract. The magnitude of PAHs bioaccessibility in intestinal tract was found higher than that in gastric tract. Results showed that S/L had significant negative effects on the bioaccessibility of PAHs in both the gastric and intestinal tracts. The effect of pH on the intestinal tract was significantly negative, while on the gastric tract, it was positive. The incubation time presented an insignificant effect in gastric tract despite its significant positive effect in intestinal tract. The worst-case bioaccessibility conditions for PAHs in the gastric tract were found to be S/L 0.004, pH 2, and incubation time 3 h, with the maximum bioaccessibility of PAHs at 6.0% compared with 41.8% in intestinal tract with S/L 0.004, pH 6.5, and incubation time 6 h.

Application of three methods used for the evaluation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) bioaccessibility for sewage sludge composting

Three chemical approaches were compared to assess the bioaccessibility of PAHs during four sewage sludge composting. In the present study solid phase extraction with Tenax-TA and two non-exhaustive/mild-solvent extraction techniques with n-butanol (BtOH) and hydroxypropyl[β]cyclodextrin (HPCD) have been applied. The content of the PAHs sum in individual sludges ranged from 2.83 to 9.95 mg/kg. Mainly 4-ring PAHs predominated in all sludges. The content of the bioaccessible fraction of PAHs determined using the BtOH and HPCD methods was usually twice higher than with the use of Tenax-TA adsorbent. The share of the bioaccessible fraction depended on the method applied and sewage sludge type. In the case of the PAH sums it ranged from 28.1% to 54.5% (Tenax-TA), from 25.7% to 80.9% (BtOH) and from 60.2% to 83.5% (HPCD). As a result of composting, the share of the bioaccessible fraction decreased by about 50% in most of the sludges examined. The reliable prediction of individual PAHs losses was observed for many of the PAHs; however, for a number of them, this was confirmed in more than two of the sludges examined.

Concentrations and bioaccessibility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in wastewater-irrigated soil using in vitro gastrointestinal test

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread environmental contaminants and contribute to the pollution of soil environment. Soil ingestion is of increasing concern for assessing health risk from PAH-contaminated soils because soil ingestion is one of the potentially important pathways of exposure to environmental pollutants, particularly relevant for children playing at contaminated sites due to their hand-to-mouth activities. In vitro gastro-intestinal tests imitate the human digestive tract, based on the physiology of humans, generally more simple, less time-consuming, and especially more reproducible than animal tests. This study was conducted to investigate the level of PAH contamination and oral bioaccessibility in surface soils, using physiologically based in vitro gastro-intestinal tests regarding both gastric and small intestinal conditions. Wastewater-irrigated soils were sampled from the metropolitan areas of Beijing and Tianjin, China, which were highly contaminated with PAHs. Reference soil samples were also collected for comparisons. At each site, four soils were sampled in the upper horizon at the depth of 0-20 cm randomly and were bulked together to form one composite sample. PAH concentrations and origin were investigated and a physiologically based in vitro test was conducted using all analytical grade reagents. Linear regression model was used to assess the relationship between total PAH concentrations in soils and soil organic carbon (SOC). A wide range of total PAH concentrations ranging from 1,304 to 3,369 mug kg(-1) in soils collected from different wastewater-irrigated sites in Tianjin, while ranging from 2,687 to 4,916 mug kg(-1) in soils collected from different wastewater-irrigated sites in Beijing, was detected. In general, total PAH concentrations in soils from Beijing sites were significantly higher than those from Tianjin sites, indicating a dominant contribution from both pyrogenic and petrogenic sources. Results indicated that the oral bioaccessibility of PAHs in small intestinal was significantly higher (from P < 0.05 to P < 0.001) than gastric condition. Similarly, the oral bioaccessibility of PAHs in contaminated sites was significantly higher (from P < or = 0.05 to P < 0.001) than in reference sites. Individual PAH ratios (three to six rings), a more accurate and reliable estimation about the emission sources, were used to distinguish the natural and anthropogenic PAH inputs in the soils. Results indicated that PAHs were both pyrogenic and petrogenic in nature. The identification of PAH sources and importance of in vitro test for PAH bioaccessibility were emphasized in this study. The oral bioaccessibility of individual PAHs in soils generally decreased with increasing ring numbers of PAHs in both the gastric and small intestinal conditions. However, the ratio of bioaccessibility of individual PAHs in gastric conditions to that in the small intestinal condition generally increased with increasing ring numbers, indicating the relatively pronounced effect of bile extract on improving the bioaccessibility of PAHs with relatively high ring numbers characterized by their high K ( ow ) values. Similarly, total PAH concentrations in soils were strongly correlated with SOC, indicating that SOC was the key factor determining the retention of PAHs in soils. Soils were contaminated with PAHs due to long-term wastewater irrigation. PAHs with two to six rings showed high concentrations with a significant increase over reference soils. Based on the molecular indices, it was suggested that PAHs in soils had both pyrogenic and petrogenic sources. It was also concluded that the oral bioaccessibility of total PAHs in the small intestinal condition was significantly higher than that in the gastric condition. Furthermore, the bioaccessibility of individual PAHs in soils generally decreased with the increasing ring numbers in both the gastric and small intestinal conditions. It is suggested that more care should be given while establishing reliable soil criteria for PAHs, especially concerning the health of children who may ingest a considerable amount of PAH-contaminated soil via outdoor hand-to-mouth activities.

Diffuse PAH contamination of surface soils: environmental occurrence, bioavailability, and microbial degradation

The purpose of this review is to recognize the scientific and environmental importance of diffuse pollution with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Diffuse PAH pollution of surface soil is characterized by large area extents, low PAH concentrations, and the lack of point sources. Urban and pristine topsoils receive a continuous input of pyrogenic PAHs, which induces a microbial potential for PAH degradation. The significance of this potential in relation to black carbon particles, PAH bioaccessibility, microbial PAH degradation, and the fate of diffuse PAHs in soil is discussed. Finally, the state-of-the-art methods for future investigations of the microbial degradation of diffuse PAH pollution are reviewed.

Assessment of the bioaccessibility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils from Beijing using an in vitro test

As an important human exposure pathway of contaminants, soil ingestion is of increasing concern for assessing health risk from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils. A wide range of total PAH concentrations ranging from 0.112 μg g −1 to 27.8 μg g −1 in soils collected from different public sites, including gas stations, roadsides, bus stops, a kindergarten, primary and middle schools, a university and residential area, was detected. In general, total PAHs concentrations in soils from traffic areas were significantly higher than that from the other sites, indicating a dominant contribution from motor vehicles. Physiologically based in vitro tests were used to evaluate the oral bioaccessibility of PAHs in surface soil under different land uses in Beijing regarding both gastric and small intestinal conditions. It was found that the oral bioaccessibility of total PAHs in small intestinal condition, ranging from 9.2% to 60.5% of total PAHs in soil, was significantly higher than gastric condition, ranging from 3.9% to 54.9%. The bioaccessibility of individual PAHs in soils generally decreased with the increasing ring number of PAHs in both gastric and small intestinal conditions. However, the ratio of bioaccessibility of individual PAHs in gastric condition to that in small intestinal condition, generally increased with increasing ring number, indicating the relatively pronounced effect of bile extract on improving bioaccessibility of PAHs with relatively high ring numbers characterized by their high K ow values. The observation that bile extract at a level higher than critical micelle concentration could reduce the surface tension of digestive juice substantially, which may cause PAHs to be available for intestinal absorption, calls for more careful establishment of reliable soil criteria for PAHs, especially concerning the health of children who may ingest a considerable amount of PAH-contaminated soil via outdoor hand-mouth activities.

Model Polymer Release System Study of PAH Bioaccessibility: The Relationship between “Rapid” Release and Bioaccessibility

This paper examines bacterial uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) entrained within model polymer release systems (MPRSs) whose release kinetics, particularly for operationally defined "slow" release, are similarto PAH release kinetics from sediments and soils. We find that biodegradation is not restricted to the fraction "rapidly" released, f1, as quantified by an empirical biphasic exponential fitting parameter. Though our results indicate that f1 does not predict bioaccessibility (defined by a recent paper calling for a standard definition of same), we analyze the causes of the reported limitation of biodegradation to rapidly released PAHs and we find that, for the MPRSs, there are very strong correlations between an ad hoc bioaccessibility and a wide range of fitting parameters from various kinetic expressions used to phenomenologically characterize release. These results indicate that fitting parameters may be used to predict ad hoc bioaccessibility; however, it is not clear if this is actually a particularly useful quantity. We also report experimental results which indicate that bacteria may influence their environment and cause biological uptake to exceed that expected from abiotic release data obtained under quasi-infinite sink conditions. When this occurs, fitting parameters from simple empirical expressions are even inadequate to predict ad hoc bioaccessibility.