People are exposed to potentially harmful substances (PHS) in soil and dust during everyday activities. These include arsenic, lead, cadmium and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.There are three exposure routes: ingestion, inhalation and dermal uptake.The key pathway is accidental ingestion through everyday activities such as gardening and from dust.
There are three exposure routes for contaminants or harmful elements: ingestion, inhalation and dermal uptake. © iStock.com/pixologicstudio.
Exposure measurements are made in the laboratory using in vitro (test tube) experiments simulating the physico-chemical conditions in the human gut and lungs or on the skin.These tests show what may be dissolved in the simulated environment and have the potential to cause harm.We have developed methods with our research partners to simulate the three exposure pathways and the ingestion method is now an . For quality assurance purposes, we have produced a guidance soil containing arsenic, cadmium and lead (BGS 102), which is available from the Inorganic Geochemistry Facility.
Key references
Broadway, A, Cave, M R, Wragg, J, Fordyce, F M, Bewley, R J F, Graham, M C, Ngwenya, B T, and Farmer, J G. 2010. . Science of The Total Environment, Vol. 409(2), 267–277.
Cave, M R, Rosende, M, Mounteney, I, Gardner, A, and Miró, M. 2016. . Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 50(17), 9479–9486.
Cave, M R, Wragg, J, Denys, S, Jondreville, C, and Feidt, C. 2010. . 287–324 in Dealing with Contaminated Sites. Swartjes, F. (editor). (Dordrecht: Springer.)
Cave, M R, Wragg, J, Harrison, I, Vane, C H, Van de Wiele, T, De Groeve, E, Nathanail, C P, Ashmore, M, Thomas, R, Robinson, J, and Daly, P. 2010. Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 44(7), 2654–2660.
Denys, S, Caboche, J, Tack, K, Rychen, G, Wragg, J, Cave, M, Jondreville, C, and Feidt, C. 2012. Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 46(11), 6252–6260.
Koch, I, Reimer, K J, Bakker, M I, Basta, N T, Cave, M R, Denys, S, Dodd, M, Hale, B A, Irwin, R, Lowney, Y W, Moore, M M, Paquin, V, Rasmussen, P R, Repaso-Subang, T, Steohenson, G L, Siciliano, S D, Wragg, J, and Zagury, G J. 2013. . Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Vol. 48(6), 641–655.
Oomen, A G, Hack, A, Minekus, M, Zeijdner, E, Cornelis, C, Schoeters, G, Verstraete, W, Van de Wiele, T, Wragg, J, Rompelberg, C J M, Sips, A J A M, and Van Wijnen, J H. 2002. . Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 36(15), 3326–3334.
Van de Wiele, T R, Oomen, A G, Wragg, J, Cave, M, Minekus, M, Hack, A, Cornelis, C, Rompelberg, C J M, De Zwart, L L, Klinck, B, Van Wijnen, J, Verstraete, W, and Sips, A J A M. 2007. . Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A, Vol. 42(9), 1203–1211.
Wragg, J, Cave, M, Hamilton, E, and Lister, T E. 2018. . Minerals, Vol. 8(12), 570.
Wragg, J, Cave, M, Basta, N, Brandon, E, Casteel, S, Denys, S, Gron, C, Oomen, A, Reimer, K, Tack, K, and Van de Wiele, T. 2011. . Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 409(19), 4016–4030.
Cave, M R, Wragg, J, Beriro, D J, Vane, C, Thomas, R, Riding, M, and Taylor, C. 2018. . Journal of Hazardous Materials, Vol. 360, 373–390
Pelfrêne, A, Cave, M R, Wragg, J, and Douay, F. 2017. . International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol. 14(2), 112.
Wragg, J, and Klinck, B. 2007. . Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A, Vol. 42, 1223–1231.
Beriro, D J, Cave, M R, Wragg, J, Thomas, R, Willis, G, and Evans, F. 2016. Journal of Hazardous Materials, Vol. 305, 240–259.
You may also be interested in
Measuring geochemical hazards
Understanding and assessing geochemical hazards in the environment has been a part of the BGS portfolio of research for over 50 years.