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Soil and vegetation fluoride exposure pathways to cotton rats on a petrochemical‐contaminated landfarm
Author(s) -
Schroder Jackie L.,
Basta Nicholas T.,
Rafferty Dan P.,
Lochmiller Robert L.,
Kim Soochong,
Qualls Charles W.,
McBee Karen
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620180922
Subject(s) - ingestion , bioavailability , soil water , environmental chemistry , sigmodon hispidus , vegetation (pathology) , contamination , soil contamination , skeletal fluorosis , fluoride , chemistry , zoology , environmental science , dental fluorosis , ecology , biology , soil science , medicine , pharmacology , inorganic chemistry , biochemistry , pathology
Total fluoride (F) content of soils, vegetation, and cotton rats ( Sigmodon hispidus ) was measured on a landfarm contaminated with petrochemical wastes. A potentially bioavailable form of F was determined by HCI extraction of soils and vegetation. Cotton rats from the landfarm were examined for dental lesions indicative of fluorosis. Exposure pathways including dietary ingestion of unwashed vegetation and nondietary ingestion of soil associated with grooming and burrowing were evaluated. Mean bone F (1,515 mg/kg) and mean soil total F (1,954 mg/kg) from the landfarm site were greater than bone F (121 mg/kg) and soil total F (121 mg/kg) at a reference site. The HCI‐extractable F was elevated in landfarm soil (326 mg/kg) compared to the reference site (2.3 mg/kg). About 80% of the cotton rats collected from the landfarm had dental fluorosis. During winter, the dietary pathway consisted of 78.9% of the potential bioavailable exposure (HCI‐extractable F) of the two exposure pathways. However, in the summer, the nondietary pathway consisted of 87.9% of the potential bioavailable exposure of the two pathways. Incidental ingestion of soil associated with grooming and burrowing is more important than consumption of unwashed vegetation for cotton rats on the landfarm site in the summer. Fluoride accumulation in the soil from landfarming of petroleum wastes may pose a risk to terrestrial vertebrates. In addition to monitoring petroleum hydrocarbons, land application of petrochemical wastes should consider F and other inorganic contaminant loadings to the soil system.