Ecological Risk Assessment of Typical Heavy Metals in Surface Dust in Z University

Abstract

With the population increasing, the rapid development of social economy and the continuous improvement of industrialization level, heavy metal pollution becomes more and more serious nowadays. It is becoming more and more urgent to put forward feasible suggestions on the detection and assessment of heavy metals in the environment. Surface dust is an important environmental media, and people can easily intake pollutants from surface dust by daily life breathing, eating or skin contacting at any time anywhere, which will cause chronic harm to the human body directly or indirectly. In order to analyze the pollution of heavy metals in surface dust and assess the ecological risk, we take the campus of Z University as the research area. Through the investigation of the campus layout we’ve collected 23 effective surface dust samples. After sample digestion, the content of 4 kinds of typical heavy metal, such as Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn were determined by atomic absorption spectrometer ZEEnit700P. The method of index of geo accumulation and potential ecological risk index were used to analyze. It was conluded:1. The average content of heavy metal elements Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn in surface dust in Z University is -0.143, 163.56, 76.90 and 106.96mg/kg respectively, which is -0.83, 6.13, 2.5 and 1.28 times as the soil background values of Hubei province, and the level sorting is Pb > Cu > Zn > Cd. The content of Pb is the highest in surface dust heavy metal pollution, which are contributed mostly by tire wear, vehicle emissions and construction content of heavy metals in surface dust in Z University.2. Most area of Z University is in clean condition, except a sample point area is in or above moderate ecological risk level, the whole campus area is safe or only slight potential ecological risk.