Slimes and Sludges, copper electrolytic

Bioaccumulation: terrestrial

Description of key information

Bioaccumulation/bioconcentration factors in soil: 0.39 kg/kg (dry weight)

Additional information

Bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) for Pb from to soil to earthworms are summarised in the voluntary risk assessment of lead, VRAL(LDAI, 2008). A median BAF for earthworms on a dry weight basis is 0.39 kg_dw/kg_dw (median of 101 values) and 10-90^thpercentiles are 0.13-1.17. On a fresh tissue weight basis, BAF values are 0.10 kg_dw/kg_ww(median) and 0.03-0.27 (10-90^thpercentiles). The influence of soil properties on the BAF of earthworms (A. calluginosa) was studied in different soils and the equation describing the BAF as a function of pH reads, with BAF on a wet weight basis (kg_dw/kg_ww)

BAF=13.9*exp(-0.76*pH)

(Ma, 1982). This equation predicts that the median BAF of the 101 data points above (BAF= 0.10 kg_dw/kg_ww) is found at pH=6.5. At pH 4.5, this BAF is 4-fold larger. There is no significant effect of total soil Pb on the BAFs (LDAI, 2008).

A few literature data are available for bioaccumulation of Pb in isopods from soil or litter, 14 BAFs were collected and listed inTable12. Values range from 0.001-0.65 kg_dw/kg_dw. A median BAF for isopods on a dry weight basis is 0.04 (median of 14 values).

Table14: Bioaccumulation factors between soil or decomposed leaf litter and isopods. The Pb concentrations in the biota are the product of BAF and soil Pb concentration.

Test substance	Organism	Test conditions	Medium	Duration	Soil/litter (mg Pb/kgdw)	BAF (kgdw/kgdw)	Reference
Pb-soil	Porcellio scaber	15 adult specimen were exposed for 14 days to approximately 600 mL of air-dried experimental soil (polluted and remediated with 2.5, 10, 40 and 4 x 40 EDTA, respectively) in plastic vessels with plastic covers.	polluted soil	14 days	4603	0.04	Udovic et al. 2009
			polluted soil leached with 2.5 mmol kg^-1EDTA		4323	0.04
			polluted soil leached with 10 mmol kg^-1EDTA		2712	0.035
			polluted soil leached with 40 mmol kg^-1EDTA		2112	0.035
			polluted soil leached with 4 x 40 mmol kg^-1EDTA		1239	0.025
PbCl2	Porcellio scaber	Isopods were kept in plastic boxes on a moist gypsum base covered by decomposed leaf litter material, i.e. partly decomposed leaf litter material soaked in an aqueous solution of 100, 500 or 1000 mg l^–1 Pb^2+(as PbCl2).	Control	21 days	7.1	0.41	Gräff et al. 1997
			100 mg Pb/l		517	0.14
			500 mg Pb/l		2777	0.08
			1000 mg Pb/l		7676	0.03
Pb-soil	Trachelipus rathkei	Near a smelting complex a transect of 5 soil sampling sites was taken	0.3 km from the smelting complex	whole life	61946	0.006	Rabitsch 1995
	Porcellio scaber		0.3 km from the smelting complex		61946	0.002
	Trachelipus ratzeburgi		0.5 km from the smelting complex on the other side of the low hill		1190	0.649
			1 km from the smelting complex		4618	0.248
			2.5 km from the smelting complex		516	0.322