Trace metals in Saharan dust: The use of in vitro bioaccessibility extractions to assess potential health risks in a dustier world

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) is acknowledged as a risk factor for human morbidity and mortality. Epidemiology and toxicology studies have focused on anthropogenic sources of PM and few consider contributions produced by natural processes (geogenic), or PM produced from natural sources as a result of human activities (geoanthropogenic PM). The focus of this study was to elucidate relationships between human/ecosystem health and dusts produced by a system transitioning from a dominantly natural to a geoanthropogenic PM source. As part of a larger study investigating the relationship between atmospheric transportation of African dust, human health, and coral reef declines, we examined dust samples sourced in Mali, Africa, collected using high-volume samplers from three sites (Mali, Tobago and U.S. Virgin Islands). Inhalation and ingestion exposure pathways were explored by filter extractions using simulated lung and gastric fluids. Bioaccessibility varied by metal and extraction fluid. Although too few samples were analyzed for robust statistics, concentrations for several metals decreased slightly while bioaccessibility increased at downwind sites.