Assessment of arsenic and fluorine in surface soil to determine environmental and health risk factors in the Comarca Lagunera, Mexico.
Total, bioaccessible and mobile concentrations of arsenic and fluorine are determined in polluted surface soil within the Comarca Lagunera region using standardized protocols to obtain a full description of the environmental behavior for these elements. The composition of mineral phases associated with them is evaluated with microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Mineralogical characterizations indicate that ultra-fine particles (<1-5 μm) including mimetite-vanadite (Pb5(AsO4)3Cl, Pb5(AsO4, VO4)3Cl)-like, lead arseniate (Pb3(AsO4)2)-like and complex arsenic-bearing compounds are main arsenic-bearing phases, while fluorite (CaF2) is the only fluorine-bearing phase. Total fluorine and arsenic concentrations in surface soil range from 89.75 to 926.63 and 2.7-78.6 mg kg-1, respectively, exceeding in many points a typical baseline value for fluorine (321 mg kg-1), and trigger level criterion for arsenic soil remediation (20 mg kg-1); whereas fluoride and arsenic concentrations in groundwater vary from 0.24 to 1.8 mg L-1and 0.12-0.650 mg L-1, respectively. The main bioaccessible percentages of soil in the gastric phase (SBRC-G) are estimated for arsenic from 1 to 63%, and this parameter in the intestinal phase (SBRC-I) fluorine from 2 to 46%, suggesting human health risks for this region. While a negligible/low mobility is found in soil for arsenic (0.1-11%), an important mobility is determined for fluorine (2-39%), indicating environmental risk related to potential fluorine release. The environmental and health risks connected to arsenic and fluorine are discussed based on experimental data.
Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango (UJED), Av. Veterinaria S/N, Circuito Universitario, Col. Valle del Sur, 34120, Durango, DGO, Mexico.
Yareli A
YA
Sariñana-Ruiz
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Iztapalapa, Av. San Rafael Atlixco No. 186, Col. Vicentina, Iztapalapa, 09340, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
Jorge
J
Vazquez-Arenas
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Azcapotzalco, Área de Crecimiento Económico y Medio Ambiente, Av. San Pablo 180, Ciudad de México, 02200, Mexico.
Fabiola S
FS
Sosa-Rodríguez
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Azcapotzalco, Departamento de Energía, Av. San Pablo 180, Ciudad de México, 02200, Mexico.
Israel
I
Labastida
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Geofísica, UNAM, Ciudad de México, 04510, Mexico.
Ma Aurora
MA
Armienta
Instituto de Metalurgia, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Sierra Leona No. 550, Lomas 2(da) sección, 78210, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico.
Antonio
A
Aragón-Piña
Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango (UJED), Av. Veterinaria S/N, Circuito Universitario, Col. Valle del Sur, 34120, Durango, DGO, Mexico.
Miguel A
MA
Escobedo-Bretado
Instituto Politécnico Nacional, CIIDIR, Unidad Durango, Sigma S/N 20 de Noviembre II, Durango, DGO, Mexico.
Laura S
LS
González-Valdez
Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango (UJED), Av. Veterinaria S/N, Circuito Universitario, Col. Valle del Sur, 34120, Durango, DGO, Mexico.
Patricia
P
Ponce-Peña
Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango (UJED), Av. Veterinaria S/N, Circuito Universitario, Col. Valle del Sur, 34120, Durango, DGO, Mexico.
Hugo
H
Ramírez-Aldaba
Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango (UJED), Av. Veterinaria S/N, Circuito Universitario, Col. Valle del Sur, 34120, Durango, DGO, Mexico. Electronic address: lcrh75@ujed.mx.
René H
RH
Lara
D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005461:Fluorine / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D012307:Risk Factors; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D005461:Fluorine; D001151:Arsenic
Arsenic; Bioaccessible concentrations; Comarca Lagunera; Fluorine; Mobility