Abstract
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.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adriano, D. C. (2001). Trace elements in terrestrial environments, biogeochemistry, bioavailability and the risks of metals (2nd ed.). New York: Springer.
Allison, L. E., & Moodie, C. D. (1965). Carbonate. In C.A. Black et al. (eds.), Methods of soil analysis. Part 2, 2nd edn (pp. 1379–1400). Agron. Monogr. 9. Madison, Wisconsin: ASA, CSSA, and SSSA.
Bower, C. A., Reitemeier, R. F., & Fireman, M. (1952). Exchangeable cation analysis of saline and alkali soils. Soil Science, 73, 251–261.
Broadway, A., Cave, M. R., Wragg, J., Fordyce, F. M., Bewley, R. J. F., Graham, M. C., et al. (2010). Determination of the bioaccessibility of chromium in Glasgow soil and the implications for human health risk assessment. Science of the Total Environment, 409, 267–277.
Carrizales, L., Razo, I., Téllez-Hernández, J., Torres-Nerio, T., Torres, A., Batres, L., et al. (2006). Exposure to arsenic and lead of children living near a copper–smelter in San Luis Potosi, Mexico: Importance of soil contamination for exposure of children. Environmental Research, 101, 1–10.
Cave, M. R., Wragg, J., Palumbo, B., & Klinck, B. A. (2002). Measurement of the bioaccessibility of arsenic in UK soils. British Geological Survey and Environment Agency R&D Technical Report P5-062/TR02. Bristol: Environment Agency.
De Miguel, E., Callaba, A., Arranz, J., Cala, V., Chacón, E., & Gallego, E. et al. (2002). Determinación de niveles de fondo y niveles de referencia de metales pesados y otros elementos traza en suelos de la Comunidad de Madrid. Madrid Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (in Spanish).
De Miguel, E., Iribarren, I., Chacón, E., Ordoñez, A., & Charlesworth, S. (2007). Risk-based evaluation of the exposure of children to trace elements in playgrounds in Madrid Spain. Chemosphere, 66, 505–513.
Dean, J. (2010). Bioavailability, bioaccessibility and mobility of environmental contaminants. Chichester: Wiley.
Drexler, J. W., & Brattin, W. J. (2007). An in vitro procedure for estimation of lead relative bioavailability: With validation. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 13, 383–401.
Dudka, S., & Miller, W. P. (1999). Permissible concentrations of arsenic and lead in soils based on risk assessment. Water, Air, and Soil pollution, 113, 127–132.
Ellickson, K. M., Meeker, R. J., Gallo, M. A., Buckley, B. T., & Lioy, P. J. (2001). Oral bioavailability of lead and arsenic from a NIST standard reference soil material. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 40, 128–135.
European Committee for Standardization (1995). EN-71: Safety of toys—Part 3: Specification for migration of certain elements. British Standard EN 71-3. European Committee for Standardization, 2001. Impact absorbing playground surfacing. Safety Requirements and Test Methods. EN 1177:1997/A1.
Farmer, J. G., Broadway, A., Cave, M. R., Wragg, J., Fordyce, F. M., Graham, M. C., et al. (2011). A lead isotopic study of the human bioaccessibility of lead in urban soils from Glasgow, Scotland. Science of the Total Environment, 409, 4958–4965.
Gbefa, B., Entwistle, J., & Dean, J. (2011). Oral bioaccessibility of metals in an urban catchment, Newcastle upon Tyne. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 33, 167–181.
Hamel, S. C., Buckley, B., & Lioy, P. J. (1998). Bioaccessibility of metals in soils for different liquid to solid ratios in synthetic gastric fluid. Environmental Science and Technology, 323, 358–362.
Hamel, S. C., Ellickson, K. M., & Lioy, P. J. (1999). The estimation of the bioaccessibility of heavy metals in soils using artificial biofluids by two novel methods: Mass balance and soil recapture. Science of the Total Environment, 243–244, 273–283.
Juhasz, A. L., Smith, E., Weber, J., Rees, M., Rofe, A., Kuchel, T., et al. (2007). In vitro assessment of arsenic bioaccessibility in contaminated anthropogenic and geogenic soils. Chemosphere, 69, 69–78.
Kabata-Pendias, A., & Pendias, H. (1992). Trace elements in soils and plants. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Ljung, K., Oomen, A., Duits, M., Selinus, O., & Berglund, M. (2007). Bioaccessibility of metals in urban playground soils. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, 42, 1241–1250.
Luo, X-s., Yu, S., & Li, X-d. (2012). The mobility, bioavailability, and human bioaccessibility of trace metals in urban soils of Hong Kong. Applied Geochemistry, 27, 995–1004.
Madrid, F., Biasioli, M., & Ajmone-Marsan, F. (2008). Availability and bioaccessibility of metals in fine particles of some urban soils. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 55, 21–32.
Mingot, J., De Miguel, E., & Chacón, E. (2011). Assessment of oral bioaccessibility of Arsenic in playground soil in Madrid (Spain). A three-method comparison and implications for risk assessment. Chemosphere, 84, 1386–1391.
Oomen, A. G., Brandon, E. F. A., Swartjes, F. A., & Sips, A. J. A. M. (2006). How can information on oral bioavailability improve human health risk assessment for lead-contaminated soils? RIVM report 711701042/2006.
Oomen, A. G., Rompelberg, C. J. M., Bruil, M. A., Dobbe, C. J. G., Pereboom, D. P. K. H., & Sips, A. J. A. M. (2003). Development of an in vitro digestion model for estimation of bioaccessibility of soil contaminants. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 44, 281–287.
Pelfrêne, A., Waterlot, C., Mazzuca, M., Nisse, C., Cuny, D., Richard, A., et al. (2012). Bioaccessibility of trace elements as affected by soil parameters in smelter-contaminated agricultural soils: A statistical modeling approach. Environmental Pollution, 160, 130–138.
Poggio, L., Vrscaj, B., Schulin, R., Hepperle, E., & Ajmone Marsan, F. (2009). Metal pollution and human bioaccessibility of topsoils in Grugliasco (Italy). Environmental Pollution, 157, 680–689.
Rasmussen, P. E., Beauchemin, S., Nugent, M., Dugandzic, R., Lanouette, M., & Chénier, M. (2008). Influence of matrix composition on the bioaccessibility of Copper, Zinc, and Nickel in urban residential dust and soil. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 14, 351–371.
Roussel, H., Waterlot, C., Pelfrene, A., Pruvot, C., Mazzuca, M., & Douay, F. (2010). Cd, Pb and Zn oral bioaccessibility of urban soils contaminated in the past by atmospheric emissions from two lead and zinc smelters. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 58, 945–954.
Ruby, M. V. (2004). Bioavailability of soil-borne chemicals: Abiotic assessment tools. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 10, 647–656.
Ruby, M. V., Davis, A., Link, T. E., Schoof, R., Chaney, R. L., Freeman, G. B., et al. (1993). Development of an in vitro screening test to evaluate the in vivo bioaccessibility of ingested mine-waste lead. Environmental Science and Technology, 27, 2870–2877.
Ruby, M. V., Davis, A., Schoof, R., Eberle, S., & Sellstone, C. M. (1996). Estimation of lead and arsenic bioavailability using a physiologically based extraction test. Environmental Science and Technology, 30, 422–430.
Ruby, M. V., Schoof, R., Brattin, W., Goldade, M., Post, G., Harnois, M., et al. (1999). Advances in evaluating the oral bioavailability of inorganics in soil for use in human health risk assessment. Environmental Science and Technology, 33, 3697–3705.
R Development Core Team (2004). R: A language and environment for statistical computing, R Foundation for Statistical Computing. <http://www.Rproject.org>.
Tseng, W. P. (1977). Effects and dose-response relationships of skin cancer and blackfoot disease with arsenic. Environmental Health Perspectives, 19, 109–119.
Tseng, W. P., Chu, H. M., How, S. W., Fong, J. M., Lin, C. S., & Yeh, S. (1968). Prevalence of skin cancer in an endemic area of chronic arsenicism in Taiwan. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 40, 453–463.
USEPA (2011). Integrated risk information system IRIS. <http://www.epa.gov/ncea/iris/subst/0278.htm>.
Walkley, A. (1935). An examination of methods for determining organic carbon and nitrogen in soils. Journal of Agricultural Science, 25, 598–609.
Wragg, J., Cave, M., Basta, N., Brandon, E., Casteel, S., Denys, S., et al. (2011). An inter-laboratory trial of the unified BARGE bioaccessibility method for arsenic, cadmium and lead in soil. Science of the Total Environment, 409, 4016–4030.
Yang, J., Barnett, M. O., Jardine, P. M., Basta, N. T., & Casteel, S. W. (2002). Adsorption, sequestration, and bioaccessibility of As(V) in soils. Environmental Science and Technology, 36, 4562–4569.
Zhang, J., & Li, X. (1987). Chromium pollution of soil and water in Jinzhou. Journal of Chinese Preventive Medicine, 21, 262–264.
Acknowledgments
The authors are deeply indebted to the Laboratorio Arbitral Agroalimentario de Madrid (Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment) for the ICP-MS analyses of the RIVM, SBET and HCl extracts. The authors would also like to express their gratitude to Dr. Alex G. Stewart (Cheshire & Merseyside Health Protection Unit) and two anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions which have helped to improve this manuscript significantly.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
De Miguel, E., Mingot, J., Chacón, E. et al. The relationship between soil geochemistry and the bioaccessibility of trace elements in playground soil. Environ Geochem Health 34, 677–687 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-012-9486-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-012-9486-7