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Residential metal contamination and potential health risks of exposure in adobe brick houses in Potosí, Bolivia.

Publication ,  Journal Article
McEwen, AR; Hsu-Kim, H; Robins, NA; Hagan, NA; Halabi, S; Barras, O; Richter, DD; Vandenberg, JJ
Published in: Sci Total Environ
August 15, 2016

Potosí, Bolivia, is the site of centuries of historic and present-day mining of the Cerro Rico, a mountain known for its rich polymetallic deposits, and was the site of large-scale Colonial era silver refining operations. In this study, the concentrations of several metal and metalloid elements were quantified in adobe brick, dirt floor, and surface dust samples from 49 houses in Potosí. Median concentrations of total mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As) were significantly greater than concentrations measured in Sucre, Bolivia, a non-mining town, and exceeded US-based soil screening levels. Adobe brick samples were further analyzed for bioaccessible concentrations of trace elements using a simulated gastric fluid (GF) extraction. Median GF extractable concentrations of Hg, As, and Pb were 0.085, 13.9, and 32.2% of the total element concentration, respectively. Total and GF extractable concentrations of Hg, As, and Pb were used to estimate exposure and potential health risks to children following incidental ingestion of adobe brick particles. Risks were assessed using a range of potential ingestion rates (50-1000mg/day). Overall, the results of the risk assessment show that the majority of households sampled contained concentrations of bioaccessible Pb and As, but not Hg, that represent a potential health risk. Even at the lowest ingestion rate considered, the majority of households exceeded the risk threshold for Pb, indicating that the concentrations of this metal are of particular concern. To our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify key trace elements in building materials in adobe brick houses and the results indicate that these houses are a potential source of exposure to metals and metalloids in South American mining communities. Additional studies are needed to fully characterize personal exposure and to understand potential adverse health outcomes within the community.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Sci Total Environ

DOI

EISSN

1879-1026

Publication Date

August 15, 2016

Volume

562

Start / End Page

237 / 246

Location

Netherlands

Related Subject Headings

  • Soil Pollutants
  • Risk Assessment
  • Metals
  • Humans
  • Housing
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Environmental Exposure
  • Construction Materials
  • Bolivia
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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McEwen, A. R., Hsu-Kim, H., Robins, N. A., Hagan, N. A., Halabi, S., Barras, O., … Vandenberg, J. J. (2016). Residential metal contamination and potential health risks of exposure in adobe brick houses in Potosí, Bolivia. Sci Total Environ, 562, 237–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.152
McEwen, Abigail R., Heileen Hsu-Kim, Nicholas A. Robins, Nicole A. Hagan, Susan Halabi, Olivo Barras, Daniel deB Richter, and John J. Vandenberg. “Residential metal contamination and potential health risks of exposure in adobe brick houses in Potosí, Bolivia.Sci Total Environ 562 (August 15, 2016): 237–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.152.
McEwen AR, Hsu-Kim H, Robins NA, Hagan NA, Halabi S, Barras O, et al. Residential metal contamination and potential health risks of exposure in adobe brick houses in Potosí, Bolivia. Sci Total Environ. 2016 Aug 15;562:237–46.
McEwen, Abigail R., et al. “Residential metal contamination and potential health risks of exposure in adobe brick houses in Potosí, Bolivia.Sci Total Environ, vol. 562, Aug. 2016, pp. 237–46. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.152.
McEwen AR, Hsu-Kim H, Robins NA, Hagan NA, Halabi S, Barras O, Richter DD, Vandenberg JJ. Residential metal contamination and potential health risks of exposure in adobe brick houses in Potosí, Bolivia. Sci Total Environ. 2016 Aug 15;562:237–246.
Journal cover image

Published In

Sci Total Environ

DOI

EISSN

1879-1026

Publication Date

August 15, 2016

Volume

562

Start / End Page

237 / 246

Location

Netherlands

Related Subject Headings

  • Soil Pollutants
  • Risk Assessment
  • Metals
  • Humans
  • Housing
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Environmental Exposure
  • Construction Materials
  • Bolivia