Abstract
The main objectives of the present study were to (i) investigate the effects of mineralogy and solid-phase distribution on element bioaccessibility and (ii) perform a risk assessment to calculate the risks to human health via the ingestion pathway. Multiple discriminant analysis showed that the dust chemistry discriminates between indoor and outdoor samples. The solid-phase distribution of the elements in indoor dust indicated that a large proportion of zinc, nickel, lead, copper, and cobalt is associated with an aluminum oxy-hydroxides component, formed by the weathering of aluminum silicates. This component, which seems to influence the mobility of many trace elements, was identified for a group of indoor dust samples that probably had a considerable contribution from outdoor dust. An iron oxide component consisted of the highest percentage of chromium, arsenic, antimony, and tin, indicating low mobility for these elements. The bioaccessible fraction in the stomach phase from the unified BARGE method was generally high in zinc, cadmium, and lead and low in nickel, cobalt, copper, chromium, and antimony. Unlike other potentially toxic elements, copper and nickel associated with aluminum oxy-hydroxides and calcium carbonates were not extracted by the stomach solutions. These trace elements possibly form stable complexes with gastric fluid constituents such as pepsin and amino acid. Lead had a hazard quotient >1, which indicates the risk of non-carcinogenic health effects, especially for children.
Highlights
We typically spend over 80% of the day inside, yet our indoor environments are still poorly understood
The mineralogical study performed by XRD indicated that both indoor and outdoor samples are primarily composed of high crystallinity minerals, namely quartz, and calcite (Table 1)
This study provides insights on the biogeochemistry of selected potentially toxic elements (PTEs) (Co, Cr, Cu, Sb, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in 20 indoor dust samples from homes of a Portuguese industrial city, and their potential for causing chronic health effects in both adults and children
Summary
We typically spend over 80% of the day inside, yet our indoor environments are still poorly understood. The home environment can be a source of passive or active exposure to environmental contaminants such as persistent organic contaminants, metals and metalloids, minerals, allergens, hair, ash, soot, cooking and heating residues, tobacco smoke, and building components, among others. Geosciences 2020, 10, 392 characterization of indoor dust settled on the floor from homes [11,12,13,14], which is commonly designated as household dust. The involuntary ingestion of household dust is a significant non-dietary pathway for hazardous substances such as metals and metalloids, potentially leading to undesired health effects, especially for children. Children are typically more susceptible to the impacts of acute and chronic environmental contaminant exposures because they are exposed to indoor dust accumulated on floors and other surfaces. There is, a necessity to identify and characterize the hazards associated with indoor dust to develop ways of reducing the associated risks and make our homes safer
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