Bioaccessibility of lead in airborne particulates from car battery repair work
Bioaccessibility of lead in airborne particulates from car battery repair work
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Date
2014
Authors
Dartey, Emmanuel
Balazs, Berlinger
Yngvar, Thomassen
Dag G., Ellingsen
Jon Ø., Odland
K. Nartey, Vincent
A. Yeboah, Francis
Weinbruch, Stephan
Journal Title
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Publisher
Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts
Abstract
The bioaccessibility of Pb in air particulate matter from two car battery repair workshops in
Kumasi (Ghana) was measured (64 full shift personal aerosol samples). An artificial lung lining
fluid simulant (Hatch solution) was applied for leaching the bioaccessible fraction in half of the
samples, the other half was leached with synthetic gastric juice. At both locations, the Pb
solubility (median) in gastric juice (89 % and 92 %) is substantially higher than in Hatch solution
(4.9 % and 5.6 %). The high solubility of Pb in gastric juice may be related to the presence of Pb
oxides. The low bioaccessibility of Pb in Hatch solution is in good agreement with previous
work on mine tailings, urban aerosol, car exhaust, welding fumes and indoor dust. The high
bioaccessibility of Pb in the gastrointestinal tract underpins the importance of improving the
personal hygienic behavior at the workplace. It is recommended that air monitoring of Pb should
include the extrathoracic aerosol fraction using inhalable aerosol samplers, as particles of this
size fraction are most likely transferred to the gastrointestinal tract in addition to the non-lung soluble particles transported from the lung by mucociliary and phagocytosis clearance.
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Citation
Dartey, E., Berlinger, B., Thomassen, Y., Ellingsen, D. G., Odland, J. Ø., Nartey, V. K., ... & Weinbruch, S. (2014). Bioaccessibility of lead in airborne particulates from car battery repair work. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 16(12), 2782-2788.