School of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing St., Xinyi Dist., Taipei, 11031, Taiwan.
Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, 1 Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 4, Da'an Dist., Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
Environ Geochem Health. 2023 Aug;45(8):6267-6286. doi: 10.1007/s10653-023-01633-5. Epub 2023 Jun 8.
Health risk assessments of exposure to mercury (Hg) from soils via ingestion and inhalation are indispensable for Taiwanese people living in the vicinity of Hg-contaminated sites. In this study, anthropogenic soils were collected from various polluted sources in Taiwan. In vitro oral and inhalation bioaccessible fractions of Hg were analyzed to avoid from overestimating the exposure risk. Discrepancies in oral and inhalation bioaccessible levels of Hg in soils were found using different in vitro assays with different pH levels and chemical compositions. The freshly contaminated soil (soil S7) polluted by chlor-alkali production activity sampled before the site was remediated had the highest total Hg concentration of 1346 mg/kg, with the highest oral bioaccessibility of 26.2% as analyzed by SW-846 Method 1340 and inhalation bioaccessibility of 30.5% as analyzed by modified Gamble's solution. The lesser extent of aging of Hg in soil S7 increased the Hg availability for humans, which was also found based on results of a sequential extraction procedure. Results of the hazard quotient showed that soil ingestion was the main pathway causing non-carcinogenic risks for children and adults. Children were also exposed to higher risks than were adults due to higher frequencies of hand-to-mouth behaviors and lower body weights. Furthermore, hazard index results adjusted for oral and inhalation bioaccessible Hg were lower than those obtained based on the total Hg content; however, an unacceptable value of the non-carcinogenic risk (> 1) for children living near soil S7 was still observed. This study suggests that children living near sites polluted for a short period of time may suffer potential renal effects regardless of the bioaccessibility. Our findings provide suggestions for decision makers on setting new strategies for managing risks of Hg-contaminated soils in Taiwan.
健康风险评估暴露于汞（Hg）从土壤通过摄入和吸入是必不可少的台湾人生活在附近的汞污染的网站。在这项研究中，人为土壤从各种污染来源在台湾。体外口服和吸入生物可利用分数 Hg 进行分析，以避免高估暴露风险。口服和吸入生物可利用性 Hg 在土壤中的差异发现使用不同的体外测定与不同的 pH 值和化学成分。刚污染的土壤（土壤 S7）污染氯碱生产活动之前取样的网站进行修复具有最高总汞浓度为 1346 毫克/公斤，最高口服生物可利用性 26.2% 分析 SW-846 法 1340 和吸入生物可利用性 30.5% 分析改良甘布尔的解决方案。较少程度的老化 Hg 在土壤 S7 增加了 Hg 供人类使用，这也发现基于顺序提取程序的结果。危害商的结果表明，土壤摄入是主要途径造成非致癌风险的儿童和成人。儿童也受到更高的风险比成年人由于更高的频率的手到嘴的行为和较低的体重。此外，危害指数结果调整口服和吸入生物可利用 Hg 低于那些基于总汞含量；然而，不可接受的值非致癌风险（> 1）儿童生活在附近的土壤 S7 仍被观察到。本研究表明，儿童生活在附近的网站污染短时间内可能会遭受潜在的肾脏影响，无论生物可利用性。我们的研究结果为决策者提供了关于制定新的策略管理风险的建议台湾的汞污染土壤。
