Bioaccessibility of lead in Dittrichia viscosa plants and risk assessment of human exposure around a fertilizer industry in Lebanon.

Total and bioaccessible lead (Pb) concentrations in Dittrichia viscosa and soil samples were considered for estimating the potential health risk, related to both plant intake and accidental soil ingestion by adult and child consumers, near a Lebanese fertilizer plant. A total of 27 plant samples, from 9 uncultivated sites situated around the plant, were analyzed in order to assess the total and bioaccessible Pb content. Physiologically based extraction test (PBET) was used to estimate oral bioaccessibility of Pb in edible plant parts.

Bioaccessibility and radioisotopes of lead in soils around a fertilizer industry in Lebanon.

The use of phosphate ore by fertilizer industries is considered a major source of soil contamination by trace metals and radionuclides. Despite its low mobility and bioavailability, lead (Pb) is among soil contaminants that pose a serious risk to human health. This study evaluates the potential impact of a fertilizer factory in North Lebanon on the total content of Pb and the activity concentration of its radioisotopes in residential, non-agricultural lands around the industry, as well as its mobility and bioaccessibility in soil samples collected at different depths.