Bioaccessibility of trace metals in boat paint particles

A ground composite of paint fragments collected from a leisure boatyard has been analysed for total and bioaccessible trace metal concentrations. The sample contained concentrations of Cu and Zn of about 1% due to their use in antifouling formulations, and significant quantities of Ba, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Sb and Sn. In a simulated stomach phase (pH 2.5), bioaccessible concentrations relative to respective total concentrations ranged from ≤10% for Ba, Cr, Ni and Sn to 80–90% for Cu and Zn. Under subsequently simulated intestinal conditions (pH 7), metal accessibility was either reduced or maintained. Increasing pH of the stomach phase from 1 to 4.5 resulted in a reduction in bioaccessibility, an effect that was propagated, in most cases, into the intestinal phase. These results are critical to the formulation of risk assessments for individuals exposed to paint particles during vessel maintenance or in home environments subjected to particulate track-in.