Abstract
Sparingly soluble contaminants are less likely to affect human health through food chain transfers, such as plant uptake or passage through animal-based foods, because mobility in these pathways is limited by solubility. Direct ingestion or inhalation of contaminated soil becomes the dominant pathway. However, both of these can be selective processes. Clay-sized particles carry the bulk of the sparingly soluble contaminants, and mechanisms that selectively remove and accumulate clay from the bulk soil also concentrate the contaminants. Erosion is another process that selectively removes clays. This project examined the degree of clay and contaminant-concentration enrichment that could occur by these processes, using U, Th and Pb as representative contaminants and using a clay and a loam soil. Erosion by water in natural rainfall events caused concentration enrichments up to 7 fold, and enrichments varied with characteristics of the erosion events. Enrichments were higher for the coarser, loam soil. Adhesion to skin gave modest enrichments of 1.3 fold in these soils, but up to 10 fold in sandy soils studied subsequently. Adhesion to plant leaves, where there was no root contact with contaminated soil, gave leaf concentrations comparable to situations where the roots contacted the contaminated soil. Clearly, adhesion to leaves is an important component of plant accumulation of sparingly soluble contaminants.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barcellos, C.C., Amaral, E. and Rochedo, E., 1990. Radionuclide transport by Pocos de Caldas Plateau rivers, Brazil.Environ. Techn.,11, 533–540.
Beke, G.J., Lindwall, C.W., Entz, T. and Channappa, T.C. 1989. Sediment and runoff water characteristics as influenced by cropping and tillage practices.Can. J. Soil Sci.,69, 639–647.
Biggins, P.D.E. and Harrison, R.M. 1980. Chemical speciation of lead compounds in street dusts.Environ. Sci. Technol.,14, 336–339.
Desai, M.V.M., Dey, N.N., Kulkami, V.V. and Pillai, K.C. 1989. Distribution of137Cs in various size fractions of bottom sediments of Bombay Harbour Bay.Ind. J. Mar. Sci.,18, 198–200.
Driver, J.H., Konz, J.J. and Whitmyre, G.K. 1989. Soil adherence to human skin.Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.,43, 814–820.
Foster, G.R. and Hakonson, T.E. 1987. Erosional losses of fallout plutonium. In: Pinder, J.E., Alberts, J.J., McLeod, K.W. and Schreskhise, R.G. (eds).Environmental Research on Actinide Elements, 7–11 Nov. 1984, pp. 225–253. USDOE Office Sci. Tech. Info., Oak Ridge, TN.
Gee, G.W. and Bauder, J.W. 1982. Particle-size analysis. In: Klute, A. (ed.),Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 1, Physical and Mineralogical Methods, 2nd edn, Agronomy No.9, Amer. Soc. Agron., Madison, Wisc.
Gerzabek, M.H. and Ullah, S.M. 1988. Cesium-137 distribution in the grain-size fractions of two contaminated soils.Oesterr. Forschungszent., Seibersdorf, 5 pp. Seibersdorf, Austria.
Ghadiri, H. and Rose, C.W. 1991a. Sorbed chemical transport in overland flow. I. A nutrient and pesticide enrichment mechanism.J. Environ. Qual.,20, 628–633.
Ghadiri, H. and Rose, C.W. 1991b. Sorbed chemical transport in overland flow. H. Enrichment ratio variation with erosion processes.J. Environ. Qual.,20, 628–633.
Godzik, S. and Sassen, M.M.A. 1978, A scanning electron microscope examination ofAesculus hippocastanum L, leaves from control and air-polluted areas.Environ. Pollut.,17, 13–18.
Hall, L. and Chang-Yen, I. 1989. An evaluation of the extraction efficiencies of some common extractants for Fe, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb and Cu on five grain-size fractionated, tropical marine sediments.Environ. Pollut.,56, 51–63.
Hamilton, E.I. 1989. Radionuclides and large particles in estuarine sediments.Marine Pollut. Bull.,20, 603–607.
Hawley, J.K. 1985. Assessment of health risk from exposure to contaminated soil.Risk Analysis,5, 289–302.
Irinevich, A.D. and Rabinovich, I.Z. 1973. Iodine content of granulometric fractions of soils. In: Fil'kov, V.A. (ed.),Tezisy Dokl. Nauchn. Konf., 1973. Kishinev. Gos. Univ., Kishinev, USSR, pp. 89–91.
IUR 1990.Soil Adhesion, VIIth Report of the Working Group Soil-to-Plant Transfer Factors. Union International Radioecologistes, RIVM, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
Kenimer, A.L., Mostaghimi, S., Dillaha, T.A. and Shanholtz, V.O. 1989. PLIERS: Pesticide losses in erosion and runoff simulator.Trans. Amer. Soc. Agric. Eng.,32, 127–137.
Kolb, W. 1989. Seasonal fluctuations of the uranium and thorium contents of aerosols in ground-level air.J. Environ. Radioactivity,9, 61–75.
Krumgalz, B.S. 1989. Unusual grain size effect on trace metals and organic matter in contaminated sediments.Marine Pollut. Bull.,20, 608–611.
Leys, J.F. and Raupach, M.R. 1991. Soil flux measurements using a portable wind erosion tunnel.Aust. J. Soil Res.,29, 533–552.
Livens, F.R., Baxter, M.S. and Allen, S.E. 1985. Physico-chemical associations of plutonium in Cumbrian soils. In: Bulman, R.A. and Cooper, J.R. (eds),Speciation of Fission and Activation Products in the Environment, 16–19 April 1985, pp. 143–150. Elsevier Applied Science, London.
Martincic, D., Kwokal, Z. and Branica, M. 1990a. Distribution of zinc, lead, cadmium and copper between different size fractions of sediments. I. The Limski Kanal (North Adriatic Sea).Sci. Total Environ.,95, 201–215.
Martincic, D., Kwokal, Z. and Branica, M. 1990b. Distribution of zinc, lead, cadmium and copper between different size fractions of sediments. II. The Krka River Estuary and the Komati Islands (Central Adriatic Sea).Sci. Total Environ.,95, 217–225.
Martz, L.W. and de Jong, E. 1990. Natural radionuclides in the soils of a small agricultural basin in the Canadian prairies and their association with topography, soil properties and erosion.Catena,17, 85–96.
Maulé, C.P. and Dudas, M.J. 1989. Preliminary identification of soil separates associated with fallout137Cs.Can. J. Soil Sci.,69, 171–175.
Means, J.L., Crerar, D.A. and Borcsik, M.P. 1978. Adsorption of Co and selected actinides by Mn and Fe oxides in soils and sediments.Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta,42, 1763–1773.
Megumi, K. and Mamuro, T. 1975. Concentrations of uranium series nuclides in soil particles in relation to their size.Annual Report of the Radiation Center Osaka Prefecture,16, 25–27.
Megumi, K. and Mamuro, T. 1977. Concentrations of uranium series nuclides in soil particles in relation to their size. Basic information for monitoring of radioactive contamination in soil.Hoken Butsuri,12, 181–186.
Megumi, K. and Oka, T. 1981. A relationship between210Pb concentrations, Mn concentration, and particle surface area in sediment cores.Annual Report of the Radiation Center Osaka Prefecture,22, 9–12.
Mesuere, K. and Fish, W. 1989. Behaviour of runoff-derived metals in a detention pond system.Water Air Soil Pollut.,47, 125–138.
Miller, M.H., Robinson, J.B., Coote, D.R., Spires, A.C. and Draper, D.W. 1982. Agriculture and water quality in the Canadian Great Lakes Basin: III. Phosphorus.J. Environ. Qual.,11, 487–493.
Muller, R.N. and Tisue, G.T. 1977. Preparative-scale size fractionation of soils and sediments and an application to studies of plutonium geochemistry.Soil Sci.,124, 191–198.
Nyphan, J.W., Miera, F.R. Jr, and Peters, R.J. 1976. Distribution of plutonium in soil particle size fractions of liquid effluent-receiving areas at Los Alamos.J. Environ. Qual.,5, 50–56.
Ritchie, J.C. and McHenry, J.R. 1990. Application of radioactive fallout cesium-137 for measuring soil erosion and sediment accumulation rates and patterns: A review.J. Environ. Qual.,19, 215–233.
Sayin, M., Mermut, A.R. and Tiessen, H. 1990. Phosphate sorption-desorption characteristics by magnetically separated soil fractions.Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J.,54, 1298–1304.
Schültz, L. and Rahn, K.A. 1982. Trace-element concentrations in erodible soils.Atmos. Environ.,16, 173–176.
Sharpley, A.N., Menzel, R.G., Smith, S.J., Rhoades, E.D. and Olness, A.E. 1981. The sorption of soluble phosphorus by soil material during transport in runoff from cropped and grassed watersheds.J. Environ. Qual.,10, 211–215.
Sheppard, S.C., Evenden, W.G. and Pollock, R.W. 1989. Uptake of natural radionuclides by field and garden crops.Can. J. Soil Sci.,69, 751–767.
Sugiyama, H., Takagi, H., Koyama, K. and Iwashima, K. 1990. Extraction ratios and behaviour of uranium in atmospheric particulates and surface soils.Eisei Kagaku,36, 36–43.
Surbeck, H. and Voelkel, H. 1988. Radionuclide content vs. grain size in soil samples.Sci. Total Environ.,69, 379–389.
UNSCEAR 1982.Ionizing Radiation. Sources and Biological Effects. United Nations, New York.
van Hoof, P.L. and Andren, A.W. 1989. Partitioning and transport of210Pb in Lake Michigan.J. Great Lakes Res.,15, 498–509.
van Wijnen, J.H., Clausing, P. and Brunekreef, B. 1990. Estimating soil ingestion by children.Environ. Res.,51, 147–162.
Wang, X., Lásztity, A., Viczián, M., Israel, Y. and Bames, R.M. 1989. Inductively coupled plasma spectrometry in the study of childhood soil ingestion, Part 1. Methodology.J. Anal. Atomic Spectrom.,4, 727–735.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sheppard, S.C., Evenden, W.G. Concentration enrichment of sparingly soluble contaminants (U, Th and Pb) by erosion and by soil adhesion to plants and skin. Environ Geochem Health 14, 121–131 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01783487
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01783487