Kinetic control of metal biouptake in natural waters

这个研究项目（被称为“新方法”）旨在开发一种更现实的方法来研究淡水水生生物和人类的金属毒性，这将适用于自然水域中的所有金属。新方法将基于金属配合物的解离反应速率。新方法将计算金属M和金属络合物ML向生物表面扩散输运的耦合通量，而不是目前使用基于化学平衡的Windermere腐殖质水相模型（WHAM）计算化学平衡时的化学形态。由于自然水体是动态系统，永远不会处于化学平衡状态，目前基于化学平衡的方法对自然水体中游离金属离子浓度（与生态毒性广泛相关）的估计是错误的。基于动力学的方法将提供实际的金属形态，而不是目前化学平衡形态的实践。由于这种“新方法”，水生生物群的健康状况得到改善，这将促使管理机构接受这种方法。

This research program (to be called 'new approach') intends to develop a more realistic approach to metal toxicity to freshwater aquatic organisms and to humans, which will be applicable to all metals in natural waters. The new approach will be based on rates of dissociation reactions of metal complexes. The new approach will calculate the coupled flux of diffusional transport of metal M and metal complex ML to the surface of the organisms instead of the current practice of calculating the chemical speciation at chemical equilibrium using the Windermere Humic Aqueous Model (WHAM), which is based on chemical equilibrium. Because natural waters are dynamic systems which are never at chemical equilibrium, the current chemical-equilibrium-based approach gives wrong estimates of free metal ion concentrations (which are widely correlated with ecotoxicity) in natural waters. The kinetics-based approach will provide the actual metal speciation instead of the current practice of chemical equilibrium speciation. The better health of aquatic biota as a result of this 'new approach'will promote the acceptance of the approach by regulatory agencies.