Bioavailability and Bioaccessibility
Eurofins Environment Testing supports the analysis of a wide variety of tests to evaluate the bioavailability or the bioaccessibility of specific constituents of concern related to sediment sites.
Bioavailable testing versus bulk testing
In the laboratory context, bioavailability refers to the amount of a contaminant of concern that is available for uptake by an organism or matrix. Historically, much of the evaluation of the potential effect of sediment contamination on human health and the environment has been based on bulk sediment analysis. Many years of research has demonstrated that the bioavailable concentrations of many constituents of concern may be less than the total concentration in the sediment. Therefore, if the bioavailability of a constituent of concern is less than that of the bulk concentration, bioavailability considerations can be incorporated into a project.
How Can Eurofins Environment Testing help you with bioavailability and bioaccessibility testing?
Eurofins Environment Testing has a wide variety of tools and methods to evaluate the bioavailablity of specific constituents of concern related to sediment and the water column. Our support includes participating in setting project goals, selecting the best analytical approach for the constituents of concern, evaluating potential passive sampling media, and quality control requirements for the project.
Our solutions to bioavailability/bioassessibility challenges
The table below outlines Eurofins Environment Testing's method offerings for bioavailability/bioassessibility testing:
| Eurofins Environment Testing's Approach | Analytical Method |
| Acid Volatile Sulfides / Simultaneously Extracted Metals (AVS/SEM) | Determination of Acid Volatile Sulfide and Selected Simultaneously Extracted Metals in Sediment, EPA-821-R-100 |
| Total Organic Carbon (TOC) | EPA Method 9060 or Lloyd Kahn Procedure for TOC |
| In Vitro Bioaccessibility Arsenic (IVBA) and Lead | Eurofins SOP based on EPA’s SW-846 Method 1340 In Vitro Bioaccessibility for Lead in Soil and other references |
| Passive Samplers for organics using Polyethylene (PE) Polyoxymethylene (POM), Polydimethylsiloxane PDMS & Solid Phase Micro-Extraction (SPME) fibers for PAHs and aPAHs, Pesticides, PCB Aroclors and/or Confeners, and Dioxins/Furans. | Project Specific Procedures |
| Passive Sampler using DGT for Mercury | Project Specific Procedures |
| Peepers support for organics, inorganics and classical wet chemistry | Project Specific Procedures |
| Pore Water Generation by centrifugation for organics, inorganics, and classical wet chemistry | Eurofins SOP for Pore Water Generation and subsequent analysis |
| Seven Step Sequential Extraction Procedure (SEP) for up to 23 metals | Eurofins SOP |
| Semi-Permeable Membrane Device (SPMD) | Project Specific Procedures |
Start your testing now
Contact us to discuss your project goals and learn how our testing solutions can support your data and regulatory needs.