Derivation of indoor dust screening concentrations for the protection of human health (DSCHH) for inorganic elements

Abstract

Few guidelines, screening standards, or benchmarks exist for the assessment of wipe sampling results and bulk dust concentrations for indoor dust screening, and the existing guidelines are limited in their application or number of analytical parameters. To address this gap, guidelines – as indoor dust screening concentrations (DSCHH) – were derived for 33 inorganic elements, following guidance for risk assessment of indoor dust, and using toxicological reference values from Canada or the U.S. The guidelines were developed on a surface area basis (for the assessment of wipe samples) and for bulk dust. The derived bulk dust DSCHH’s were higher than most existing soil quality guidelines, suggesting that for all elements except bismuth, chromium (Cr), mercury, lead (Pb), nickel, and thallium, the soil quality guidelines are protective. Baseline values (background concentrations) obtained from a literature review were lower than most derived DSCHH ’s. The exceptions were antimony, Pb, and vanadium surface area baseline values that were higher than the toddler DSCHH in a residential scenario, and arsenic, Pb, and Cr bulk dust baseline concentrations that were higher than toddler DSCHH’s. If these elements are a concern in a risk assessment, the practitioner should be aware that baseline values may need to be examined closely, which may include measuring local baseline conditions.