| The main objective of this study is to assess the in vitro oral bioavailabilities (i.e. bioaccessibilities) of arsenic, chromium, and copper, in a scenario of incidental ingestion of contaminated soil near CCA-C/polymer additive (PA)-treated utility poles in service. The secondary objective is to determine the influence of soil properties on arsenic, chromium and copper bioaccessibilities.; In November 2002, twelve CCA-treated utility poles were installed in four different environments (clayey, organic and sandy soils) in the Montreal area. Eighteen months after the poles installation, surface soil samples immediately adjacent to each pole were collected and characterized.; The soil characterization revealed that copper concentration was the highest (1215 +/- 1020 mg/kg on average, varying from 95.6 +/- 4.5 to 3580 +/- 680 mg/kg), followed by arsenic (169 +/- 69 mg/kg on average, ranging from 37.4+/-2.5 to 251 +/- 12 mg/kg) and chromium (150 +/- 119 mg/kg on average, varying from 26.4 +/- 2.1 to 394 +/- 53 mg/kg) concentrations, which were statistically equivalent. Moreover, chromium and copper concentrations were highly and positively correlated with total organic carbon (TOC) content whereas arsenic contamination was high (compared to Quebec soil criteria) irrespective of organic matter content. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
