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The importance of solid-phase distribution on the oral bioaccessibility of Ni and Cr in soils overlying Palaeogene basalt lavas, Northern Ireland

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Abstract

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) including nickel and chromium are often present in soils overlying basalt at concentrations above regulatory guidance values due to the presence of these elements in underlying geology. Oral bioaccessibility testing allows the risk posed by PTEs to human health to be assessed; however, bioaccessibility is controlled by factors including mineralogy, particle size, solid-phase speciation and encapsulation. X-ray diffraction was used to characterise the mineralogy of 12 soil samples overlying Palaeogene basalt lavas in Northern Ireland, and non-specific sequential extraction coupled with chemometric analysis was used to determine the distribution of elements amongst soil components in 3 of these samples. The data obtained were related to total concentration and oral bioaccessible concentration to determine whether a relationship exists between the overall concentrations of PTEs, their bioaccessibility and the soils mineralogy and geochemistry. Gastric phase bioaccessible fraction (BAF %) ranged from 0.4 to 5.4 % for chromium in soils overlying basalt and bioaccessible and total chromium concentrations are positively correlated. In contrast, the range of gastric phase BAF for nickel was greater (1.4–43.8 %), while no significant correlation was observed between bioaccessible and total nickel concentrations. However, nickel BAF was inversely correlated with total concentration. Solid-phase fractionation information showed that bioaccessible nickel was associated with calcium carbonate, aluminium oxide, iron oxide and clay-related components, while bioaccessible chromium was associated with clay-related components. This suggests that weathering significantly affects nickel bioaccessibility, but does not have the same effect on the bioaccessibility of chromium.

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Acknowledgments

Geochemistry data were provided by the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland as part of the Tellus Project, which was funded by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment of Northern Ireland and by the EU ‘Building Sustainable Prosperity’ programme of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The authors would also like to acknowledge the valuable technical assistance provided by Alex Donald (GSNI) and Mark Russell (QUB).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Engineering Research Centre, School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 5AG, UK

    Siobhan F. Cox, Merlyn C. M. Chelliah, Sherry Palmer & Ulrich Ofterdinger

  2. School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN, UK

    Jennifer M. McKinley

  3. Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, Belfast, BT9 5BF, UK

    Michael E. Young

  4. British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK

    Mark R. Cave & Joanna Wragg

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  1. Siobhan F. Cox
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  2. Merlyn C. M. Chelliah
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Correspondence to Siobhan F. Cox.

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Cox, S.F., Chelliah, M.C.M., McKinley, J.M. et al. The importance of solid-phase distribution on the oral bioaccessibility of Ni and Cr in soils overlying Palaeogene basalt lavas, Northern Ireland. Environ Geochem Health 35, 553–567 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-013-9539-6

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