In Vitro Bioaccessibility Assay (IVBA) Sampling Guidance Update - Part 4 Soil Sampling Best Practices and Laboratory Methods to Measure IVBA & RBA

The Technical Review Workgroup (TRW) Bioavailability Committee recently published the "Guidance for Sample Collection for In Vitro Bioaccessibility Assay for Arsenic and Lead in Soil and Applications of Relative Bioavailability Data in Human Health Risk Assessment." This is an update to the 2015 Guidance for Sample Collection for In Vitro Bioaccessibility Assay for Lead (Pb) in Soil. The update is intended to help EPA risk assessors, remedial project managers, and on-scene coordinators develop and use bioavailability data at their sites. It incorporates sample planning and data analysis recommendations from EPA's Guidance on Systematic Planning Using the Data Quality Objectives Process that are pertinent to sampling for In Vitro Bioaccessibility (IVBA) and Relative Bioavailability (RBA). It also clarifies the application of IVBA and RBA data to human health risk assessment, the development of risk-based goals at CERCLA remedial and removal sites and includes arsenic (As) which was recently added to the In Vitro Bioaccessibility Assay.

The TRW has developed a series of trainings based on the updated guidance. This session will focus on a discussion of soil sample collection and processing best practices and methods to directly measure relative bioavailability (RBA) or estimate RBA by measuring in vitro bioaccessibility via EPA Method 1340 at soil arsenic and lead contaminated sites.  This training will target a general audience of regional staff working in risk assessment, remediation, emergency response, technical support, and quality assurance. The training will be an approximately one hour long and will include time for general discussion. Members of the Bioavailability Committee and a Regional representative will be present to answer questions in real time.

Clay Nelson, BioGeoChem Scientific, LLC (claymnelson@gmail.com)
Clay Nelson is the principal of BioGeoChem Scientific LLC, an environmental consulting firm based in Austin, Texas. Clay brings 18 years of experience in inorganic analytical chemistry, statistical data analysis, and risk assessment, with a focus on toxic metal(loid) exposure and metal bioavailability/bioaccessibility . Clay has co-authored over 25 articles in the peer-reviewed literature on topics ranging from the development and validation of in vivo and in vitro methods to measure lead and arsenic bioavailability/bioaccessibility, to development of soil metal remediation technologies, to assessment of lead and other metal(loid)s in drinking water and house dust. Clay is currently leading the development of a statistical simulation tool to estimate decision confidence in the assessment of lead and arsenic contaminated soils to inform sample planning and data quality objective assessment.

Sydney Chan, U.S. EPA - Panelist

Karen Bradham, U.S. EPA - Panelist

Matthew Lambert, U.S. EPA - Panelist

Gary Diamond, SRC - Panelist

Julie Klotzbach, SRC - Panelist

Ghassan Khoury, U.S. EPA - Panelist

Charles Partridge, U.S. EPA - Panelist

Moderator:

Jean Balent, U.S. EPA Technology Innovation and Field Services Division (balent.jean@epa.gov or 202-566-0832)
Ms Balent is on the staff of the EPA's Technology Innovation and Field Services Division where she has worked to collect and disseminate hazardous waste remediation and characterization information since 2003. Ms Balent manages the Clean Up Information Network website and actively supports online communication and collaboration resources available to EPA. She formerly worked with the US Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Engineering Division in the Buffalo District. Ms Balent was also a member of the SUNY-Buffalo Groundwater Research Group where she constructed and tested large scale models of groundwater flow. Ms Balent has also conducted research relating to the Great Lakes, environmental remediation, and brownfields re-development. She holds a Bachelor's degree in environmental engineering from SUNY-Buffalo and a Master's degree in Information Technology from AIU.

• Slide Presentation for IVBA-4 (1.71MB/PDF)

Webinar Slides and References:

• Slide Presentation for IVBA-4 (1.71MB/PDF)

Additional Resources:

• Soil Bioavailability at Superfund Sites: Technical Assistance
• Guidance for Sample Collection
• TRW BAC email (bahelp@epa.gov)
• TRW BAC website
• EPA Reports:
• Guidance on Choosing a Sampling Design for Environmental Data Collection (2002)
• Guidance for Sample Collection for In Vitro Bioaccessibility Assay for Lead in Soil and Applications of Relative Bioavailability Data in Human Health Risk Assessment (2021)
• SW-846 Test Method 6200: Field Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry for the Determination of Elemental Concentrations in Soil and Sediment (2007)
• Superfund & Emergency Management X-Ray Fluorescence Field Operations Guide (2022)
• SW-846 Compendium: Chapter 3, Inorganic Analytes
• Standard Operating Procedure for an In Vitro Bioaccessibility Assay for Lead and Arsenic in Soil, April 20, 2017
• USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Federal Domestic Soil Quarantines
• Referenced Peer-Reviewed Studies:
• Bradham et al. (2013). Mouse assay for determination of arsenic bioavailability in contaminated soils.
• Bradham et al. (2018). Comparison of mouse and swine bioassays for determination of soil arsenic relative bioavailability.
• Li et al. (2016). Arsenic relative bioavailability in contaminated soils: Comparison of animal models, dosing schemes, and biological endpoints.
• Bradham et al. (2016). Estimating relative bioavailability of soil lead in the mouse.
• Scheckel et al. (2013). Amending soils with phosphate as means to mitigate soil lead hazard: a critical review of the state of the science.

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Rehabilitation Act Notice for Reasonable Accommodation

It is EPA's policy to make reasonable accommodation to persons with disabilities wishing to participate in the agency's programs and activities, pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 791. Any request for accommodation should be made to Sydney Chan at 303-241-9767 or chan.sydney@epa.gov, preferably one week or more in advance of the webinar, so that EPA will have sufficient time to process the request. EPA would welcome specific recommendations from requestors specifying the nature or type of accommodation needed. EPA welcomes specific recommendations from requestors specifying the nature or type of accommodation needed. Please note that CLU-IN provides both alternate phone call-in options and closed captioning for all webinars, and requests for these specific accommodations are not necessary.

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