Lead contamination from shooting activities: bioavailability, bioaccessibility and hydrological controls on Pb geochemical partitioning in soil

Claudia Rocco , Diana Agrelli, Nunzio Fiorentino, Massimo Fagnano, Dominik Weiss, Paola Adamo

Lead (Pb) contamination in soils is a persistent environmental and human health concern in areas affected by shooting activities. This study provides an integrated assessment of Pb geochemical behaviour, plant interactions, and human bioaccessibility in waterlogged alluvial wetland soils from Soglitelle (southern Italy), a natural reserve historically impacted by hunting activities. The results show that, despite elevated anthropogenic inputs, Pb is largely retained in stable soil fractions associated with Fe/Mn oxides and residual phases, limiting its mobility and immediate bioaccessibility. However, environmental drivers such as flooding and plant growth can modify Pb partitioning, increasing the proportion of more labile forms. Pb translocation to plant aerial tissues was not observed, with leaf contamination mainly attributable to surface deposition, while in vitro bioaccessibility tests indicated moderate potential human exposure. Overall, this study demonstrates that Pb contamination in shooting-impacted soils is not static, underscoring the importance of integrating geochemical fractionation, environmental processes, and bioaccessibility for accurate and reliable risk assessment.