title: Determining soil remedial action criteria for acute effects: the challenge of copper.
abstract: Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, the primary acute effect of the essential micronutrient copper, paradoxically occur at lower exposure levels than hepatotoxicity, the primary chronic effect. We developed a remedial action criterion (RAC) for copper to protect against GI symptoms, which primarily relate to the stomach copper concentration, and subside within an hour. Using Monte Carlo methods, we generated a distribution of RACs protective against GI symptoms for a 1 h exposure (hourly RACs) based on soil ingestion rate, volume of liquid and food in the stomach, and bioaccessibility. We then generated a distribution of daily RACs, selected as the minimum hourly RAC for each day over a year, constrained by total daily soil ingestion. Next, we identified a percentile of the distribution of daily RACs, and associated RAC, that would result in a high probability of having a minimal number of GI symptom episodes per year. Our analysis indicates that a copper concentration of 3600 mg/kg would result in a 95% probability of having fewer than five episodes of GI symptoms per year, for a child ingesting outdoor soil 180 days per year. Children residing near copper smelters are most likely to experience GI symptoms from ingestion of copper in soil.
authors.affiliation: Gradient, Cambridge, MA, USA. mseeley@gradientcorp.com
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seeley
authors.forename: Christopher S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Wannamaker
authors.forename: Rosemary L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Mattuck
authors.forename: Shijin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Barbara D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Beck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D003300:Copper / Q000633:toxicity*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000517:prevention & control; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation / Q000379:methods*; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008669:Metallurgy; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D011336:Probability; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D003300:Copper