People are exposed to potentially harmful substances (PHS) in soil and dust during everyday activities. These include arsenic, lead, cadmium and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.听There are three exposure routes: ingestion, inhalation and dermal uptake.听The key pathway is accidental ingestion through everyday activities such as gardening and from dust.
There are three exposure routes for contaminants or harmful elements: ingestion, inhalation and dermal uptake. 漏 iStock.com/pixologicstudio.
Exposure measurements are made in the laboratory using in vitro (test tube) experiments simulating the physico-chemical conditions in the human gut and lungs or on the skin.听These tests show what may be dissolved in the simulated environment and have the potential to cause harm.听We have developed methods with our research partners to simulate the three exposure pathways and the ingestion method is now an . For quality assurance purposes, we have produced a guidance soil containing arsenic, cadmium and lead (今日吃瓜 102), which is available from the Inorganic Geochemistry Facility.
Key references
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