Automated microdialysis-based system for in situ microsampling and investigation of lead bioavailability in...

In situ automatic microdialysis sampling under batch-flow conditions is herein proposed for the first time for expedient assessment of the kinetics of lead bioaccessibility/bioavailability in contaminated and agricultural soils exploiting the harmonized physiologically based extraction test (UBM). Capitalized upon a concentric microdialysis probe immersed in synthetic gut fluids, the miniaturized flow system is harnessed for continuous monitoring of lead transfer across the permselective microdialysis membrane to mimic the diffusive transport of metal species through the epithelium of the stomach and of the small intestine. Besides, the addition of the UBM gastrointestinal fluid surrogates at a specified time frame is fully mechanized. Distinct microdialysis probe configurations and membranes types were investigated in detail to ensure passive sampling under steady-state dialytic conditions for lead. Using a 3-cm-long polysulfone membrane with averaged molecular weight cutoff of 30 kDa in a concentric probe and a perfusate flow rate of 2.0 μL min(-1), microdialysis relative recoveries in the gastric phase were close to 100%, thereby omitting the need for probe calibration. The automatic leaching method was validated in terms of bias in the analysis of four soils with different physicochemical properties and containing a wide range of lead content (16 ± 3 to 1216 ± 42 mg kg(-1)) using mass balance assessment as a quality control tool. No significant differences between the mass balance and the total lead concentration in the suite of analyzed soils were encountered (α = 0.05). Our finding that the extraction of soil-borne lead for merely one hour in the GI phase suffices for assessment of the bioavailable fraction as a result of the fast immobilization of lead species at near-neutral conditions would assist in providing risk assessment data from the UBM test on a short notice.