Bioaccessibility of metals and human health risk assessment in community urban gardens.
Pseudo-total (i.e. aqua regia extractable) and gastric-bioaccessible (i.e. glycine+HCl extractable) concentrations of Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined in a total of 48 samples collected from six community urban gardens of different characteristics in the city of Madrid (Spain). Calcium carbonate appears to be the soil property that determines the bioaccessibility of a majority of those elements, and the lack of influence of organic matter, pH and texture can be explained by their low levels in the samples (organic matter) or their narrow range of variation (pH and texture). A conservative risk assessment with bioaccessible concentrations in two scenarios, i.e. adult urban farmers and children playing in urban gardens, revealed acceptable levels of risk, but with large differences between urban gardens depending on their history of land use and their proximity to busy areas in the city center. Only in a worst-case scenario in which children who use urban gardens as recreational areas also eat the produce grown in them would the risk exceed the limits of acceptability.
['Izquierdo|M|M|', 'De Miguel|E|E|', 'Ortega|M F|MF|', 'Mingot|J|J|']
D000328:Adult D002648:Child D002947:Cities D004781:Environmental Exposure D051639:Gardening D006801:Humans D008670:Metals D010988:Play and Playthings D018570:Risk Assessment D012987:Soil D012989:Soil Pollutants D013030:Spain
Bioaccessibility Metals Risk assessment Urban garden Soil pollution