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Analysis of arsenic bioavailability in contaminated soils
Author(s) -
Turpeinen Riina,
Virta Marko,
Häggblom Max M.
Publication year - 2003
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.5620220101
Subject(s) - bioavailability , environmental chemistry , arsenic , soil water , contamination , chemistry , soil contamination , environmental science , ecology , biology , soil science , bioinformatics , organic chemistry
The bioavailable arsenic (As) content of contaminated soils was determined by joint analyses of acid‐soluble, total water‐soluble, and biovailable As by using a luminescent bacterial sensor, Escherichia coli MC1061(pTOO31). According to the results of this study, a significant positive correlation was found between the concentration of total water‐soluble As and the bioavailability of As. However, the bioavailability of As in soil varied between sampling sites and was not equal when compared to the concentration of total water‐soluble As; bioavailable As was 3 to 77% of total water‐soluble As in soil. Our experiments also showed that aging and sequestration of As occurs in contaminated soils and As compounds thus become progressively less bioavailable with time. As a consequence, the bioavailability and toxicity of As should be considered when evaluating the ecological risks of contaminated soils.