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Predicting the relative oral bioavailability of naturally occurring As, Cd and Pb from in vitro bioaccessibility measurement: implications for human soil ingestion exposure assessment

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Abstract

Chestnut soils developed over mineralized areas of southwestern Spain are characterized by high baseline concentrations of geogenic trace elements, notably Pb (up to 14,562 mg kg−1), As (up to 346 mg kg−1) and Cd (up to 319 mg kg−1), which could pose an unacceptable risk to the health of the hand-harvest workers who are being exposed to surface soil by incidental ingestion and dermal contact. Oral bioaccessibility, as determined by simulating the human digestion process in a test-tube environment (Unified BARGE Method), followed the increasing order of As (3.1%) < Pb (21.5%) < Cd (35.6%) in the gastric phase, and As (3.4%) < Pb (4.5%) < Cd (13.2%) in the gastrointestinal extract. Relative bioavailability (RBA) of As (3.1–2.1%), Pb (17.8–17.5%) and Cd (34.4–23.3%), predicted from in vitro bioaccessibility measurement through linear regression models, seems to be influenced not only by the pH and composition of digestive solutions but also by geochemical partitioning of trace elements among the soil constituents. The integration of RBA data in the risk calculations had a considerable effect on the site-specific risk estimations. After RBA adjustment, the level of carcinogenic risk associated with As exposure (< 1.5E−06) and the hazard index for non-carcinogens (< 0.4) was within the regulatory limits, indicating that occupational risks are not of concern. Hence, it can be concluded that the use of a default value of 100% for bioavailability may dramatically overestimate the chronic exposure to geologically sourced trace elements.

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Funding

No funding was received for conducting this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, Campus de El Carmen, 21071, Huelva, Spain

    Sandra Fernández-Landero & Juan Carlos Fernández-Caliani

  2. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, Campus de El Carmen, 21071, Huelva, Spain

    Inmaculada Giráldez

Authors
  1. Sandra Fernández-Landero
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  2. Inmaculada Giráldez
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  3. Juan Carlos Fernández-Caliani
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Contributions

Sandra Fernández-Landero (SFL)—Inmaculada Giráldez (IG)—Juan Carlos Fernández-Caliani (JCFC). JCFC and IG designed the present study. SFL and IG performed analyses and processed the data. JCFC and SFL wrote the manuscript. All authors contributed to the interpretation of the data and discussed their implications.

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Correspondence to Juan Carlos Fernández-Caliani.

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Figure 1S

Schematic illustration of the gastric and gastrointestinal extraction procedures following the Unified BARGE Method. (PPTX 1480 kb)

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Fernández-Landero, S., Giráldez, I. & Fernández-Caliani, J.C. Predicting the relative oral bioavailability of naturally occurring As, Cd and Pb from in vitro bioaccessibility measurement: implications for human soil ingestion exposure assessment. Environ Geochem Health 43, 4251–4264 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-021-00911-4

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