This project will use a robust laboratory based model of the gastrointestinal tract to determine the bioacessibility (ability of a pollutant to be absorbed 
within the gut and interact with human cells) of environmental pollutants in the human gut. This will provide a major advance in accuracy of the risk assessment 
process undertaken by regulatory authorities to determine the toxicology of pollutants and their effects when ingested by humans. When accurate determinations 
of this parameter can be made, the soil guideline values (SGVs) provided by the Environment Agency in the regulatory guidance and for the assessment of contaminated 
land, will be significantly enhanced. Currently, no such repeatable determination protocol exists and guidance values are based upon intake, i.e. the amount 
of substance to which an individual is exposed rather than uptake, the amount of contaminant which enters the body and is taken up by the bloodstream. This proposal 
brings together two established gut models. The BGS model which mirrors behaviour in the stomach and small intestine and the University of Reading model which 
simulates the colon. The acidic conditions of the upper gut are believed to be the primary site of release of metals from the soil matrix, whereas the profuse 
microbial action of the colon may have more of an effect on organic pollutants. Both pollutant classes will be tested in the proposal. Unification of the two 
models will bring about the ability to mirror the whole human digestive tract. The proposal is supported by the Health Protection Agency who provide toxicological 
support to the Environment Agency when deriving SGVs. The HPA will support and advise on toxicological analyses conducted throughout this project.