Bioavailability refers to the extent to which humans and ecological receptors are exposed to contaminants in soil or sediment. The concept of bioavailability has recently piqued the interest of the hazardous waste industry as an important consideration in deciding how much waste to clean up. The rationale is that if contaminants in soil and sediment are not bioavailable, then more contaminant mass can be left in place without creating additional risk. A new NRC report notes that the potential for the consideration of bioavailability to influence decision-making is greatest where certain chemical, environmental, and regulatory factors align. The current use of bioavailability in risk assessment and hazardous waste cleanup regulations is demystified, and acceptable tools and models for bioavailability assessment are discussed and ranked according to seven criteria. Finally, the intimate link between bioavailability and bioremediation is explored. The report concludes with suggestions for moving bioavailability forward in the regulatory arena for both soil and sediment cleanup.

Many of the problem contaminants found in soils and groundwaters are non-ionic and relatively insoluble. Under appropriate conditions, many of these compounds are degradable by bacteria provided nutrients, electron acceptors and the compounds themselves are biologically available. However, non-ionic organic compounds (NOCs) bind tenaciously to soil particles potentially limiting their bioavailability. While the individual processes of sorption and biodegradation have received much attention in recent years, little is known about the interactions of these processes. The primary objective of our DOE-funded research project has been to elucidate the influences of sorption and desorption processes on the bioavailability of NOCs. Conflicting reports in the literature suggest that sorption may increase, decrease, or have no effect on bioavailability although the majority of published work has studied proteins, fatty acids, and other normal bacterial growth substrates as sorbates. Some of this variability arises because sorbed solutes interact with sorbents via different mechanisms including cation and anion exchange, adsorption, complexation with surface-associated metals and partitioning. Also, bacterial activities may be altered upon attachment of the cells to the sorbent surface. Clearly, resolution of this problem requires detailed knowledge of a system with multiple components. We are, therefore, approaching this problem on a fundamental level. 20 refs., 16 figs., 2 tabs.

Reports the current thinking on the role that adsorption may play in the rate and extent of an organic compound's degradation in the soil. Among the topics of the 14 papers are diazinon degradation and dissipation in the root zone, the reductive dechlorination of hexachlorobenzene in wetland soils, and the utility of sorption and degradation parameters from the literature for site-specific pesticide impact assessments. Proceedings from an October 1991 symposium in Denver. No index. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The book presents the latest research findings and prospects on soil mineral-organic matter-microorganism interactions. It includes topics covering mechanisms of transformations, dynamics and bioavailability of heavy metals, radionuclides, biomolecules and nutrients immobilized on soil minerals, humic substances, mineral-humic complexes and microorganisms and their impact on plant, animal and human health. The book is organized into six parts.