Environ. Sci. Technol. 2007, 41, 4164-4171
Characterization of Zinc, Lead, and Cadmium in Mine Waste: Implications for Transport, Exposure, and Bioavailability L A U R E L A . S C H A I D E R , * ,† DAVID B. SENN,† DANIEL J. BRABANDER,‡ KATHLEEN D. MCCARTHY,‡ AND JAMES P. SHINE† Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 401 Park Drive, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, and Department of Geosciences, Wellesley College, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481
We characterized the lability and bioaccessibility of Zn, Pb, and Cd in size-fractionated mine waste at the Tar Creek Superfund Site (Oklahoma) to assess the potential for metal transport, exposure, and subsequent bioavailability. Bulk mine waste samples contained elevated Zn (9100 ( 2500 ppm), Pb (650 ( 360 ppm), and Cd (42 ( 10 ppm), while particles with the greatest potential for windborne transport and inhalation (
