| Scope and method of study. This dissertation is composed of four different chapters. Chapter 1 documents soil contamination on land treatment areas and examines the relationships between metals in soils and tissue concentrations in cotton rats. Chapters 2 and 3 investigates the ability of an in vitro gastrointestinal (IVG) method (with dough and without dough) to predict relative bioavailable Cd and Pb in contaminated soils as determined by a juvenile swine model. Chapter 4 describes bioaccumulation in lettuce grown on and in earthworms exposed to Cd, Pb and Zn spiked soils with different properties. It also details the relationships between soil extractants (pore water and CaNO3) and metal content in lettuce and earthworms.; Findings and conclusions. Chapter 1: Soils of petrochemical sites were contaminated with metals (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, Sr, V, and Zn) as well as F. Strong relationships were found between bone F and HCl-extractable F and bone F and total F in soils. Chapters 2: Linear relationships between IVG gastric extraction step without dough (r = 0.86), IVG intestinal extraction step with dough (r = 0.80) and in vivo relative bioavailable Cd were found. Chapter 3: Strong linear relationships between IVG GE Pb with dough ( r > 0.76, P < 0.0002), IVG IE Pb with dough ( r > 0.56, P < 0.015), and IVG GE Pb without dough (r > 0.81, P < 0.0001) and in vivo bioavailable Pb as estimated with blood, kidney, liver, and bone were found. Chapter 4: Significant relationships existed between soil extractants and metal content in lettuce and earthworms. |
