Bolu’da Ev Tozu ile İlişkili Sağlık Risklerinin Tahmin Edilmesi

Abstract

The levels of metals associated with dust is higher in indoor environment as compared to settled dust or soil in the exterior counterpart in the urban centers. The metals can be transferred to human body via inhalation, ingestion and dermal contact upon exposure and pose a significant health problem. The primary objectives of this study are (i) to determine the levels of metals in home dust samples in Bolu, Turkey, (ii) to assess the associated health risk when citizens are exposed to these metals in indoor environment. To end this, sixteen vacuum cleaning bags containing dust were collected from the homes located in the city center of Bolu (Turkey) between November and December 2017. The collected samples were analyzed by employing Wavelength Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (WDXRF) spectrometer in terms of major (Al, Ca, Cl, K, Mg, Na, P, S and Si) and minor (As, Ba, Br, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Nb, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sn, Sr, Ti, Y, Zn and Zr) metals at Turkish Atomic Energy Agency, Radiation and Accelerator Technologies Department, Ankara (Turkey). The measured levels of metals in the samples were ranged from 6.52±1.60 µg g-1 for Y to 10.4±3.3 % for Na. The crustal enrichment factor (EFcrust) was calculated in order to understand the contamination level of household dust samples as compared to soil composition. EFcrust results revealed that there is minimal enrichment of Si, Rb, Ti, Ba, K, Y and Mn in household dust samples with respect to soil composition. On the other hand, Zn, Cl, and S found to be extremely enriched in the samples according to EFcrust values. Health risk assessment due to household dust metal exposure depicted that ingestion of dust particles is the main route of exposure for both adults and children. Overall, the calculated HQ value <1.0 suggesting there is no significant non-carcinogenic health risk for the residents. Cancer risks associated with Pb and Cr were estimated to be within the EPA’s safe limits (1x10-6 and 1.0x10-4).