Colloidal bound metals bioavailability

SOME IMPLICATIONS OF A RATE-LIMITING DIFFUSION 7.5.1 Bioavailability of Colloidal Bound Metal... 

Metals are widely distributed in the aquatic environment and may be from either natural and/or anthropogenic sources. They are present in wide range of forms or species including freely dissolved metal, salts, organometalics, and bound to colloids and particulates. Factors such as pH and redox potential of the water and sediment, and presence of particulate material or organic matter, and microbial activity will determine in what form a particular metal is present in the environment. Since the different forms of a metal can have different bioavailabilities and toxicities, it is important to ensure that biologically relevant species are measured. Metals are generally bioavailable when present as free ions, bound to weak complexes or in a lipid soluble form (Hudson, 1998 Luider et al., 2004). Low concentrations of some metals, such as Cu and Zn,... 

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