Kinetic control of metal biouptake in natural waters

这项研究计划(将被称为“新方法”)旨在开发一种更现实的方法来研究金属对淡水水生生物和人类的毒性，这将适用于自然水域中的所有金属。新的方法将基于金属络合物的解离反应速度。新方法将计算金属M和金属络合物ML向生物体表面扩散传输的耦合通量，而不是目前使用基于化学平衡的温德米尔腐殖质水模型(WHAM)计算化学平衡时的化学形态的做法。由于自然水域是动态系统，从未达到化学平衡，目前基于化学平衡的方法对自然水域中的游离金属离子浓度(与生态毒性广泛相关)给出了错误的估计。基于动力学的方法将提供实际的金属形态，而不是目前的化学平衡物种形成的做法。这种“新方法”带来的更好的水生生物健康状况将促进监管机构对这种方法的接受。

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.