Identification

Title

Solubility of Indium-Tin Oxide in simulated lung and gastric fluids: Pathways for human assimilation NERC grant NE/L001896/1

Abstract

From being a metal with very limited natural distribution,indium (In) has recently become disseminated throughout the human society. Little is know of how In compounds behave in the natural environment, but recent medical studies link exposure to In compounds to elevated risk of respiratory disorders. Animal tests suggest that exposure may lead to more widespread damage in the body, notably testicular cancer. In this paper, we investigate the solubility of the most widely used In compound, indium-tin oxide (ITO) in simulated lung and gastric fluids in order to better understand the potential pathways for metals to be introduced into the bloodstream. Our results show significant potential for release of In and tin (Sn) in the deep parts of the lungs (artificial lysosomal fluid) and digestive fluids, while the solubility in the upper parts of the lungs (the respiratory tract or tracheobronchial tree, simulated by Gamble's solution) is very low. Our study confirms that ITO is likely to remain as solid particles in the upper parts of the lungs, but that particles are likely to at dissolve in the deep lungs. Considering the prolonged residence time of inhaled particles in the deep lung and the high solubility of ITO in artificial lysosomal fluids, the environment of the deep lungs is likely to provide the major route for assimilation of In and Sn from inhaled ITO nano- and microparticles. Digestion is likely to also lead to assimilation through dissolution in the stomach and interaction with digestive enzymes in the pancreatic juice. However, this route is less likely to lead to substantial assimilation because of the much shorter residence times of particles in the digestive system.

Resource type

nonGeographicDataset

Resource locator

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/

protocol: HTTP

name: BGS Homepage

description: The BGS Homepage is an entry point to the BGS data services.

function: information

Unique resource identifier

code

http://data.bgs.ac.uk/id/dataHolding/13607026

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Additional information source

NERC grant NE/L001896/1

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

originating controlled vocabulary

title

GEMET - INSPIRE themes

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2008-06-01

Keyword set

keyword value

Indium

Tin

originating controlled vocabulary

title

BGS Thesaurus of Geosciences

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2011

Keyword set

keyword value

NERC_DDC

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

2014-08

Dataset reference date

date type

creation

effective date

2013-09

Frequency of update

notApplicable

Quality and validity

Lineage

Experimental data produced by laboratory tests at the University of Exeter. Methods are described in the manuscript.

Conformity

Conformity report

specification

title

INSPIRE Implementing rules laying down technical arrangements for the interoperability and harmonisation of Geology

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2011

degree

false

explanation

See the referenced specification

Conformity report

specification

title

Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2010-12-08

degree

false

explanation

See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:323:0011:0102:EN:PDF

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Limitations on public access

Constraint set

Limitations on public access

The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the prior permission of the copyright holder, via the BGS Intellectual Property Rights Manager. Use by customers of information provided by the BGS, is at the customer's own risk. In view of the disparate sources of information at BGS's disposal, including such material donated to BGS, that BGS accepts in good faith as being accurate, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the quality or accuracy of the information supplied, or to the information's suitability for any use. NERC/BGS accepts no liability whatever in respect of loss, damage, injury or other occurence however caused.

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

Camborne School of Mines

organisation name

University of Exeter

full postal address

Penryn Campus

Penryn

TR10 9FE

United Kingdom

email address

not available

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact

organisation name

British Geological Survey

full postal address

Environmental Science Centre,Keyworth

NOTTINGHAM

NG12 5GG

United Kingdom

telephone number

+44 115 936 3100

email address

enquiries@bgs.ac.uk

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata date

2023-03-22

Metadata language

eng