Evaluation of solubility in simulated lung fluid of metals present in the slag from a metallurgical industry to produce metallic zinc

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the solubility parameters (rapid and slow dissolution rates, rapid and slow dissolution fractions) for nickel, cadmium, zinc and manganese compounds present in a pile of slag accumulated under exposure to weathering. This slag was generated by a metallurgical industry that produced zinc and zinc alloys from hemimorphite (Zn(4)(OH)(2)Si(2)O(7).H(2)O) and willemite (Zn(2)SiO(4)) minerals. A static dissolution test in vitro was used to determine the solubility parameters and Gamble's solution was used as the simulated lung fluid (SLF), on a time basis ranging from 10 min to 1 year. The metal concentrations in the slag samples and in the SLF were determined using Particle Induced X-rays Emission (PIXE). There are significant differences in terms of solubility parameters among the metals. The results indicated that the zinc, nickel, cadmium and manganese compounds present in the slag were moderately soluble in the SLF. The rapid dissolution fractions of these metals are associated with their sulfates. In conclusion, this study confirms the harmful effects on the neighboring population of the airborne particles containing these metals that came from the slag.

Analytical methods for assessing metal bioaccessibility in airborne particulate matter: A scoping review

“…Five studies used only neutral Gamble's solution, or comparable variations thereof, to represent conditions in the lung [18,25,[48][49][50]. Voutsa and Samara [48] employed a neutral synthetic lung serum (pH 7.4), consisting of salts, chlorides, carbonates, phosphates, citrate, glycine and cysteine, to determine the solubility of metals associated with PM 7.2 collected in six urban areas in Greece.…”

“…Chromium(III), Pb and U were <10% soluble. Lima et al [25] examined the solubility of Ni, Cd, Zn and Mn associated with slag from a metallurgical plant in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They used Gamble's solution (pH 7.4) and flow-through Teflon cylinders to conduct rapid dissolution and slow dissolution tests ranging from 10 min to 360 days.…”

Use of simulated epithelial lung fluid in assessing the human health risk of Pb in urban street dust

“…Classification of the respiratory system into different compartments gives a clearer understanding of the processes involved in particle inhalation, deposition and removal. Neutral synthetic lung fluids, largely based on modifications of the original 'Gamble's solution', are widely used for the exposure assessment of humans to inhalable pollutants (Wragg and Klinck, 2007;Caboche et al, 2011;Lima et al, 2013). More recently, the crucial (though often unclear) role of high molecular mass proteins, antioxidants and surfactant lipids in determining bioaccessibility has been recognised, along with the development and application of a new generation of in vitro lung fluid formulations (Boisa et al, 2014;Gray et al, 2010;Li et al, 2014;Stebounova et al, 2011).…”