Bioaccessibility, bioavailability and mineralogy of soil metal contaminants for application to site specific risk assessment

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Metal contaminants in soil can pose a risk to human health through exposure via ingestion or inhalation of soil particles and absorption of the contaminant by the gut or lung. Regulations governing the cleanup of contaminated sites mostly calculate the potential dose by measuring the total concentration of metal in these particles, even though the harsh acid extraction used to determine total metal concentrations is not similar to the gut or lung environment. There are a number of methods to determine what the true exposure might be, including simulating gastric juices and measuring release of the metal into solution, and feeding the contaminated soils to animals and measuring elimination of the contaminant. The proposed work will combine these two techniques to better understand the controllers of Ni release from soils after ingestion. This new knowledge will lead to tools that enable industry and regulators to make cost-effective and scientifically informed decisions for the fate of contaminated lands that protect human and environmental health with a known and acceptable margin of safety.