Replication of an ivg protocol to estimate bioaccessible arsenic in materials from a gold mining area in Brazil

Abstract

SUMMARYTests for bioaccessibility are useful in human health risk assessment. No research data with the objective of determining bioaccessible arsenic (As) in areas affected by gold mining and smelting activities have been published so far in Brazil. Samples were collected from four areas: a private natural land reserve of Cerrado; mine tailings; overburden; and refuse from gold smelting of a mining company in Paracatu, Minas Gerais. The total, bioaccessible and Mehlich-1-extractable As levels were determined. Based on the reproducibility and the accuracy/precision of the in vitro gastrointestinal (IVG) determination method of bioaccessible As in the reference material NIST 2710, it was concluded that this procedure is adequate to determine bioaccessible As in soil and tailing samples from gold mining areas in Brazil. All samples from the studied mining area contained low percentages of bioaccessible As.Index terms: trace elements, in vitro tests, environmental pollution.(1) Part of the dissertation of the first author, student of the Soil Science Graduation Program, Soil Science Department, Federal University of Lavras, CP 3037, Campus UFLA. CEP 37200-000 Lavras (MG

Human health risk assessment from arsenic exposures in Bangladesh

“…Factors such as diet composition also influence the gastrointestinal tract As uptake contributed by soil ingestion. An accurate estimate of As bioavailability from ingested soil is important for a precise HHRA (Ono et al, 2012). Bradham et al (2011), using an in vivo mouse assay, evaluated As absolute bioavailability for test soils with As concentration ranging from 173 mg/kg to 6899 mg/kg and reported figures of up to 33%.…”