Partitioning and Toxicity of Trace Metals

Since colloidal material has both hydrophilic and lipophilic properties, making it permeable across membrane surfaces, lipid permeation may be an important mechanism for metal uptake. Lipophilic metals, such as organic Hg, have been shown to be taken up by 

F igu re 15.3 Percentages of Cd, Cr, and Zn in the cytoplasm of the diatom, Thalassiosira pseudonana, and the dinoflagellate, Procentrum minimum, after 1 day exposure to low molecular (LMW) bound metals and colloidal bound metals (COC). (Modified from Wang and Guo, 2000.) 

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