Analytica Chimica Acta 410 (2000) 119–125 Speciation of lead in soils and relation with its concentration in fruits Mehmet Yaman a,∗ , Yusuf Dilgin b , Seref Gucer c a Firat University, Sciences and Arts Faculty Department of Chemistry, Elazig, Turkey b 18 Mart University, Sciences and Arts Faculty Department of Chemistry, Canakkale, Turkey c Uludag University, Sciences and Arts Faculty Department of Chemistry, Bursa, Turkey Received 13 August 1999; received in revised form 1 December 1999; accepted 5 December 1999 Abstract The lead concentrations of the fruit samples were determined by using slotted tube atom trap (STAT)-enrichment-flame and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS and GF-AAS). The soil samples related to these fruits were also analysed for Pb after extraction with various chemical reagents. The relation between the fruit-lead and soil-extractable lead concentrations was examined in order to explain the bioavailability of lead. A linear relation was observed between the hot Na 2 EDTA extraction-soluble Pb contents in the soil and the Pb concentrations in the mulberry (R 2 =0.95), strawberry and apple grown on these soils. Probable chemical forms of lead in soil were evaluated. Acceptable agreement (at least 91%) was achieved between the results of STAT-enrichment-FAAS and GF-AAS. ©2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Speciation; Lead; Soil; Fruit; AAS 1. Introduction Lead is known to be a toxic agent that accumulates in the human body over a lifetime. It may enter the organism via the alimentary and/or respiratory tract [1], so the main non-occupational sources of this metal are food, drinking water and air. The emission of this metal may deposit on soil and vegetation in the vicinity to highways because the automobile ex- haust emission is one of the major sources of lead contamination [2]. The other important lead sources of food and environment are the use of lead arsen- ate as a fungicide on crops and industrial sources. Therefore, analytical control of lead in foods and soils is becoming an important topic. In addition, it is also known that the lead amount transferred ∗ Corresponding author. Fax: +90-424-2330062. E-mail address: myaman@firat.edu.tr (M. Yaman) to the food depends on its chemical form rather than on its total amount in soil. So, the speciation of lead in soil is more important for estimating its biological availability, physico-chemical reactivity and transport in the environment and into the food chain. The general approach for the soil speciation studies has been to separate the soil using different chemical reagents or solvents fractions and, by analyzing each fraction, to determine the amount of element com- bined or associated with each soil fraction or phase [3]. A number of extractants, including ethylene- diaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), diethylenetriamine pentaaceticacid (DTPA), acetic acid, ammonium ac- etate, calcium chloride and NH 2 OH·HCl have been tested to identify metal species as exchangeable, carbonate-bound, Fe and Mn oxide-bound, organ- ically bound, and to estimating the plant available trace metals [3,4]. 0003-2670/00/$ – see front matter ©2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII:S0003-2670(99)00895-8