Capacity Controlling Parameters and Their Impact on Metal Toxicity in Soil Invertebrates

The behaviour of a chemical in a soil or sediment depends on its physical-chemical properties as well as on the environmental conditions prevalent in its immediate surroundings. In soils and sediments, contaminant behaviour may be determined by the content of organic matter, clay, and hydroxides of aluminium and iron and by pH (Alleyway 1990; Bolt and Bruggenwert 1976; Van Riemsdijk and Hiemstra 1993; Yong et al. 1992). These properties determine the storage capacity of soils for heavy metals and other pollutants, and are therefore called Capacity Controlling Parameters (CCP) (ter Meulen et al. 1993). The same properties are believed to determine bioavailability of contaminants for organisms living in soil or sediment.