Campus Montecillo, Colegio de Postgraduados, Carretera México Texcoco km, 36.5, CP 56230, Montecillo, Mexico.
Office of Research & Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., USA.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Apr;28(15):19458-19472. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-11887-6. Epub 2021 Jan 4.
Metal(loid)s are contaminants of concern emitted as particulate matter (PM) from several pollution sources. The objective was to characterize potential exposure from local airborne metal(loid)s in a community in proximity to mine tailings. Air samples were collected weekly at five sites around the municipal mine tailings using two Hi-volume samplers for simultaneously collecting PM and PM. Total suspended particulates (TSP), concentrations, speciation, and bioaccessibility of metal(loid)s were quantified. The size and form of particles were determined by scanning electron microscopy. The concentration of TSP (μg m) in the airborne samples ranged from 21.2 to 64.6 for PM and 23.6 to 80.1 for PM. The profiles of analyzed quasi-total metal(loid) concentration from all sampling sites were similar between these aerosols PM sizes except at site 2 for Cd, at site 3 for Cu, and site 4 for Zn. The order of quasi-total metal(loid) concentration, in the airborne samples for both PM sizes, was As > Zn > Fe > Pb > Cu > Mn > Cd. As speciation included As-sulfite, As(III)-O, and As(V)-O with less concentration of As(III)-O in both PM sizes. Bioaccessible metal(loid) concentrations were very high and represented a great percentage from the quasi-total airborne concentrations, for instance, 10% and 37% for Pb and 8% and 6% for As in pulmonary and gastric bioaccessible concentrations, respectively. Knowing the toxic effects of these pollutants, there is an urgent need to establish environmental regulation of bioaccessible pollutant concentrations from PM dislodged from uncovered metal(loid) mine tailings affecting not only nearby human populations but also possible long-distance ecosystem transport.
金属（类）是从多个污染源作为颗粒物（PM）排放的关注污染物。目的是描述临近矿区尾矿的社区中局部空气传播金属（类）的潜在暴露情况。使用两个高容量采样器每周在五个地点采集五个地点的空气样本，同时采集 PM 和 PM。总悬浮颗粒物（TSP）浓度、金属（类）的形态和生物可利用性进行了定量分析。通过扫描电子显微镜确定颗粒的大小和形态。空气中 TSP（μg m）的浓度在 PM 中范围为 21.2 至 64.6，在 PM 中范围为 23.6 至 80.1。所有采样点的准总金属（类）浓度分布在这两种气溶胶 PM 大小之间相似，除了 Cd 在 2 号采样点、Cu 在 3 号采样点和 Zn 在 4 号采样点。在两种 PM 大小的空气样本中，准总金属（类）浓度的顺序为 As > Zn > Fe > Pb > Cu > Mn > Cd。As 形态包括亚硫酸盐、As（III）-O 和 As（V）-O，两种 PM 大小的 As（III）-O 浓度较低。可生物利用的金属（类）浓度非常高，占准总空气浓度的很大比例，例如，在肺部和胃部可生物利用浓度中，Pb 分别为 10%和 37%，As 分别为 8%和 6%。考虑到这些污染物的毒性作用，迫切需要建立对从未覆盖的金属（类）矿尾矿脱落的 PM 中生物可利用污染物浓度的环境监管，这不仅影响附近的人类群体，而且可能影响远距离的生态系统传输。
