IMPACT OF DIET ON Pb BIOACCESSIBILITY FOR WILDLIFE IN VITRO METHODS
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Date
2016-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Human activities have introduced Pb into the environment, posing a risk not just to humans, but to wildlife as well. Ecological risk assessment is used to assess risk of stressors, such as lead, to wildlife. Currently, risk assessment relies on the assumption that lead exposure results in complete absorption, i.e. 100% relative bioavailability. In many cases this is inaccurate, as bioavailability of lead decreases depending on the media with which it is consumed. Thus, not knowing the bioavailability of metals can lead to overestimation of exposure, impacting risk assessment and making remediation efforts more expensive. Animal models and in vitro methods are used to characterize human bioavailability for Pb in soils. The exposure pathway for human health risk assessment is ingestion of soil while fasting, but the pathway for wildlife is exposure through feeding. In vitro methods for wildlife should be used for measuring bioavailability of Pb in diet, rather than in soil. The impacts of diet on in vitro bioaccessible Pb (i.e. IVBA Pb) have not yet been examined. In this current study, in vitro methods that have been found to accurately predict bioavailable Pb for Japanese quail (Courtnix japonica) were further tested to see if there would be changes in IVBA Pb in six different diets spiked with lead acetate. Diet impacted IVBA Pb in some in vitro methods, and the effects varied both with method and with diet. Method pH and Ca, fiber, and phytate content were not strongly correlated with changes in Pb solubility, indicating complex interactions between Pb and dietary components. Further research is needed to discern which dietary components impact bioavailability. In vitro methods for wildlife should be correlated with animal models to develop predictive methods that can quickly and inexpensively estimate bioavailability of contaminated diets for ecological risk assessment.
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Keywords
Lead, Bioavailability, Ecological Risk Assessment, In Vitro Bioavailability