Heavy Metals In Road Dust Research Articles

Health risk assessment of heavy metal contamination in street dust of federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The aim of this study was to assess contamination and potential human health risks of heavy metals in street dust from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H). In total, 117 street dust samples were analyzed for Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Health risk assessment was applied to determine potential health risks, non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks, in children and adults. According to mass concentrations of studied trace metals, the dust samples were arranged as the following diminishing series: industrial zone > high traffic streets > streets with moderate traffic > parking place > parks, school yards, sports facilities, medical facilities. Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn mean concentrations are 3.18, 33.17, 30.01, 3150, 236, 73.00, 52.49 and 81.72 mg/kg, respectively. In order to identify possible metals sources correlation analysis was applied. Strong correlations between Cd-Mn, Fe-Mn, Ni-Cr, and Cr-Fe were obtained, suggesting a common dependence or source of these metals in street dust in FB&H. Contributor that most impact the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk is the ingestion route for both, children and adults, followed by the dermal and inhalation pathways. The risk assessment shows that the population of FB&H is at increased lifetime risk of experiencing cancer because of exposure to Cr and Pb concentrations in street dust of FB&H.

Spatial Distribution and Contamination of Heavy Metals in Street Dust from Hamedan, Iran

recent decades, characterized as the Anthropocene epoch, much attention has been paid to heavy metal contamination...

Hazard, ecological, and human health risk assessment of heavy metals in street dust in Dezful, Iran

This study aimed to investigate the potentially toxic metal (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd, Ni, V, As, and Co) hazard in street dust from Dezful, Iran. For this purpose, we collected 30 samples of street dust from the main pedestrian sidewalks of Dezful. Subsequent heavy metal concentration data for these samples was evaluated using human health risk and potential ecological risk index (RI) assessments. The average toxic metal concentrations for Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd, Ni, V, As, and Co were 54, 224, 51, 44, 0.4, 46, 38, 3, and 8 mg/kg, respectively. Except for As, V, and Co, the mean concentration value of all heavy metals was several times higher than that of baseline concentrations. Calculations for potential ecological risk (PER) suggested a low street dust ecological risk from Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, and V, while Cd presented a moderate ecological risk level. The highest hazard quotient (HQ) in children and adults was related to Pb by ingestion, while the lowest value was for Cd via inhalation. For all heavy metals, the hazard index (HI) was higher for children than for adults, which confirmed that the risk of exposure to these potentially harmful heavy metals is higher for children. The cancer risk (CR) values for Ni, As, Cd, and Pb for children and adults were lower than the threshold, 10−6, suggesting that the cancer risk for the majority of heavy metals measured was negligible, but more significant than the threshold for Cr, indicating that the presence of Cr in street dust requires urgent attention.

Pollution Characteristics and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Road Dust from Non-ferrous Smelting Parks

In order to explore the pollution characteristics and health risks of heavy metals in dust from roads around non-ferrous smelting activities in different regions, dust samples from urban roads, non-ferrous smelting industry park roads, and tunnel roads were collected from the Mengzi area of Yunnan Province. The dust samples were suspended on Teflon filters by re-suspension equipment to obtain PM2.5 and PM10 samples. Eight heavy metals (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb) were analyzed by ICP-MS. The results showed that the average content of the total heavy metals in PM2.5 was higher than that in PM10. The average contents of Pb, Cd, As, and Zn were highest in all three types of road dust, and the difference in the total average content in different types of road dust was ranked as:tunnel roads > non-ferrous smelting industrial park roads > urban roads. The average contents of Pb and As in PM2.5 from the tunnel road dust were higher than other heavy metals, and reached up to 92338.3 mg·kg-1 and 12457.7 mg·kg-1, respectively. The average contents of Pb and Zn in PM2.5 from the industrial park road dust were the highest of all heavy metals (4381.7 mg·kg-1 and 4685.0 mg·kg-1, respectively). The average content of Zn and Pb in PM2.5 were the highest of all the heavy metals in the urban road dust (1952.6 mg·kg-1 and 1944.8 mg·kg-1, respectively). The average contents of Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb in the different types of road dust were all higher than their background values in Yunnan Province. The results of the enrichment factor analysis and principal component analysis indicated that Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb were obviously enriched in all three types of road dust, which were significantly affected by the non-ferrous smelting industry and traffic sources. In contrast, Cr, Mn, and Ni were not obviously enriched in the three types of road dust and were less affected by anthropogenic sources. The results of the health risk assessment testified that ingestion was the main exposure route, and that the children's non-carcinogenic risk was higher than that of adults. In PM2.5, As, Cd, and Pb in all types of road dust were associated with non-carcinogenic risks for adults and children. In PM10, As, Cd, and Pb in dust from the non-ferrous smelting industry park roads and tunnel roads had non-carcinogenic risks for humans. As in PM10 from the urban road dust was associated with a non-carcinogenic risk for children, whereas As in dust from the tunnel roads had carcinogenic risks.

Concentrations, Speciation, and Bioavailability of Heavy Metals in Street Dust as well as Relationships with Physiochemcal Properties: A Case Study of Jinan City in East China.

A total of 77 street dust samples were collected from Jinan City in East China and were analyzed for the concentrations, speciation, bioavailability, and influencing factors of ten heavy metals. The results showed that the average concentrations of Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Cd, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, and V in the street dust were 642.77, 8.24, 114.09, 87.71, 1.08, 517.04, 30.29, 80.32, 497.84, and 51.76 mg/kg, and the concentrations of Ba, Cr, Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb, and Zn exceeded the local soil element background values. In the street dust, Ba, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, and V were mainly in the residual; Cu and Pb were controlled by the oxidizable; Cd mainly existed in the acid extractable; and Zn was dominated by the reducible. According to the ratios of the acid extractable to the sum of four forms, Cd (39.85%) presented a high environmental risk; Mn and Zn (24.29% and 27.78%) exhibited a medium risk; and V, Cu, Pb, Ba, Co, Ni, and Cr had no environmental risk. The order of mobility or potential risk of heavy metals was Cd ( 85.8%) > Zn (77.1%) > Cu (64.3%) > Pb (62.0%) > Mn (51.7%) > Ba ( 38.9%) > Co (31.2%) > Ni (30.1%) > V (25.8%) > Cr (23.1%), suggesting that Cd, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Mn presented relatively high movability and risk. The bioavailability order of heavy metals was Cd (82.7%) > Zn (63.6%) > Mn (40.4%) > Ni (20.4%) > Pb (11.7%) > Cu (11.1%) > V (7.8%) > Cr (3.7%) in the gastric phase and Cu (24.6%) > Cd (19.9%) > Mn (16.2%) > Ni (6.6%) > Pb (5.7%) > Zn (4.4%) > Cr (3.0%) > V (2.3%) in intestinal phase, implying that Cd, Zn, Mn, and Cu were highly bioavailable in the gastrointestinal environment, which coincided with the risk of speciation. The speciation of heavy metals in street dust had certain correlations with their bioavailability. The physiochemical properties of street dust had significant effects on the concentrations, speciation, and bioavailability of heavy metals in street dust. The simple, fast, and nondestructive magnetic measurements could be used as indicators of the concentrations, speciation, and bioavailability of heavy metals in street dust.

Health risk assessment of heavy metals in street dust around a zinc smelting plant in China based on bioavailability and bioaccessibility.

In order to investigate pollution level, chemical speciation and health risk of exposure to heavy metals in street dust from smelting district, we carried the following studies: (a). the differences in the morphology of street dust in smelting and non-smelting districts using a scanning electron microscope; (b). the chemical speciation and bioavailability of heavy metals in <100μm and <63μm particles near a smelting district using a modified three-stage BCR sequential extraction procedure and in vitro digestion test, respectively; (c). the evaluation of the non-carcinogenic risk of children and adults exposure to dust based on bioaccessibility. The results showed that most of the dust particles near Huludao Zinc Plant (HZP) were relatively solid with less porosity, which might originate from incompletely burned mineral particles from the smelting process. The concentrations of Pb, Cd and Cu were much higher than the background levels: 1560, 178.5 and 917.9mgkg-1 in <100μm dust samples, and 2099, 198.4, 1038mgkg-1 in <63μm dust samples, respectively. Pb was mostly present in the reducible fraction and the acid exchangeable fraction, while Cd and Cu were the most common heavy metals in the acid exchangeable fraction and oxidizable fraction, respectively. The rank order of bioaccessibility for the gastric and intestinal phase was Cd (58.13%)>Pb (50.00%)>Cu (19.19%) and Cd (20.36%)>Cu (15.67%)>Pb (5.08%), respectively. Hand-to-mouth ingestion poses the greatest non-carcinogenic exposure risk compared with other exposure pathways. When bioavailability is taken into account, children experienced higher non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of dust exposure compared with adults, and the <63μm particles posed greater risks than <100μm particles.

Sub-type source profiles of fine particles for fugitive dust and accumulative health risks of heavy metals: a case study in a fast-developing city of China.

Sub-type source profiles for atmospheric fine particle (PM2.5) were still scare in China, which limited the accurate source identification of it. Fugitive dust (including road dust, soil dust, resuspended dust, and construction dust, etc.) was one type of the most important contributors to PM2.5 and its associated toxic metals held potential threaten to human health. The chemical compositions, sources, and health risks of sub-type fugitive dust deserved an investigation for further accurate control of particles and alleviating human health risks. A total of sixty-five fugitive dust samples were collected in Suzhou, a fast-developing city in southern China, including eleven sub-types of road dust (overpass, main street, collector street, and ordinary street), soil dust (farmland and tree lawn), resuspended dust (site types were corresponding to those of road dust), and construction dust (large construction sites). Chemical analysis of water-soluble ions, elements, and carbonaceous components was carried out to establish the sub-type source profiles of PM2.5 for fugitive dust. Results showed that crustal elements were the most abundant components of fugitive dust, and soil dust was less polluted by anthropogenic activities. High contents of OC and low contents of EC were found in all the eleven types of dust. Equivalent ratios of anions and cations indicated that the fugitive dust was obviously alkaline. The contents of OC and EC in the four types of road dust were higher than those in other types of dust, while there existed differences among the sub-types of road dust. The NO3-/SO42- ratios (0.03-0.09) implied that coal-burning and motor vehicle emission co-existed in Suzhou. Coefficient divergence (CD) values of eleven sub-type source profiles showed that there were certain differences among them, which suggested the possibility of sub-type source identification. Cluster analysis indicated the heavy metals in fugitive dust were mainly from crustal materials, metallurgical manufacturing, vehicle emissions, and industrial activities. The enrichment degree of heavy metals for the four types of road dust was also inconsistent. Heavy metals in road dust and soil dust posed a non-carcinogenic risk to children through direct ingestion, and the non-carcinogenic risk of direct intake of heavy metals was much higher than that of respiratory and skin contact. It was found that the accumulative health risks of heavy metals were higher in densely populated areas, traffic intensive areas, and industrial areas through the spatial analysis. This study firstly discussed the chemical compositions of PM2.5 for eleven sub-types of fugitive dust in a Chinese city and assessed the accumulative health risks of heavy metals, which could be a demonstration for further related researches.

Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in road dust based on improved potential ecological risk index: A case study in Zhengzhou, China

In order to analyze the ecological risk of the heavy metals in road dust. The improved potential ecological risk index was established. In the improved method, the toxicity of different chemical speciations of heavy metals were considered. Since residual fraction of Cd are non-toxic in the improved method, the results of the improved method were much lower than the traditional method.The results showed that the total risks of 3# and 15# were medium risk. The highest risk appeared on14# with the value 337.49, which belonged to high risk, and the total risk of the other sampling sites were low risk. Therefore, 14# should be the primary control site. The improved method established in this study is more scientific.

Characteristics and health risk assessment of heavy metals in street dust for children in Jinhua, China.

Street dust and soil samples were collected from three study areas in Jinhua, China: a commercial area and two urban districts. The concentrations of nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), and particularly zinc (Zn) in street dust exceeded soil background values and Chinese soil screening safe levels in some areas. Zn and Cd concentrations in street dust appeared to pose health concerns in the majority of sample sites, but their levels in soils were noticeably lower, indicating possible contamination from atmospheric deposition. Of the three areas, the most severe pollution occurred in Jindong (JD) District. Practically all the samples from JD District showed contamination to some degree. Based on pollution indices, the contamination levels of heavy metals among the studied sites were ranked in the following descending order: JD District > commercial area (CA) > Wucheng District. Source metal identification assessment revealed that the majority of metals in street dust from Jinhua were significantly related to industrial and traffic activities. Health risk assessment was performed based on the US-Environmental Protection Agency model, and the results showed that virtually, no health risk existed from exposure to individual metals in dust particles. However, the noncarcinogenic risk exponentially increased through exposure to various metals in dust. Thus, the majority of hazard index values surpassed the acceptable level. For carcinogens, the carcinogenic risks of each metal did not supersede the acceptable range for children. This observation demonstrates that although the carcinogenic risk is acceptable, the noncarcinogenic risk remains a genuine health concern for local children.

Effects of Vehicle Emissions on Heavy Metals and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Pollution in Road Dust in Xinxiang

In this study, samples were taken of the surface dust of main roads in Xinxiang City, and the concentrations of five heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu and Zn) and fifteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), respectively. Meanwhile, the effects of vehicle emissions on the pollution characteristics were investigated. The results showed that the concentrations of heavy metals and PAHs ranged from 2.58 to 1560 mg·kg-1 and ND to 1.30 mg·kg-1, respectively. Overall, the concentrations of heavy metals and PAHs increased with a decrease in dust particle size. In terms of composition, the heavy metals were dominated by Zn while the high-molecular-weight PAHs were mainly homologous. In spatial distribution, the concentrations of heavy metals and PAHs were different. The total concentrations of heavy metals in road dust near Renmin Road, Xiaodian Industrial Park, and Cement Plant were the highest, while the high concentrations of PAHs appeared in the dust of Renmin Road, Upper Expressway, and 107 National Highway. Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was no positive correlation between the five heavy metals and fifteen PAHs. Then cluster analysis and factor analysis indicated that the PAHs were greatly affected by vehicle emissions, while the heavy metals were basically unaffected.

Source-specific ecological risk analysis and critical source identification of heavy metals in road dust in Beijing, China

To explore the spatial variation of source-specific ecological risks and identify critical sources of heavy metals in road dust, 36 road dust samples collected in Beijing in March 2017 were analyzed for heavy metals. A new method that takes into consideration the heavy-metal toxic response and is flexible to changes in the number of calculated heavy metals, called the Nemerow integrated risk index (NIRI), was developed for ecological risk assessment. The NIRI indicated that heavy metals posed considerable to high risks at the majority of sites, and 22 % of the sites suffered extreme risk in spring (NIRI > 320). Four main sources were identified based on positive matrix factorization (PMF): traffic exhaust, fuel combustion, construction, and use of pesticides and fertilizers. Owing to the lower toxic response factors of representative heavy metals of fuel combustion than those of other sources, although fuel combustion had the highest contribution (34.21 %) to heavy metals in spring, it only contributed 5.57 % to ecological risks. Critical sources and critical source areas were determined by considering the contributions to both heavy metals and ecological risks. The use of pesticide and fertilizer and traffic-related exhaust were identified as critical sources of heavy metals in spring. Source-specific ecological risks and critical sources of heavy metals changed with the changing seasons, which suggests that different strategies should be adopted in different seasons.

Concentrations, pollution indices and health risk assessment of heavy metals in road dust from two urbanized cities of Pakistan: Comparing two sampling methods for heavy metals concentration

Lahore and Faisalabad are two highly populated metropolitans of Pakistan. The increasing number of vehicles and urbanization resulted in the contamination of urban road dust with heavy metals, which can expose residents to health hazards. The aim of this research was to determine the road dust heavy metal (Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb, and Zn) concentrations, their distribution, comparison, and their potential health risk assessment for local people. Herein, two sampling methods, namely deposit gauge method (DGM) and sweeping tools method (STM), were used to collect road dust samples in eight similar major road intersections. Dust collected by DGM (gravitational pull of air dust) showed higher heavy metals concentration than STM in both cities, which might be associated to the smaller dust particles collected in the DGM. Among sites, concentrations of heavy metals were the highest in dust obtained from the General Bus Stand in both cities. Dominant metals were Zn and Pb with an average concentration of 95.5 and 56.8 mg kg−1, respectively while Cd was the lowest in Lahore. Similarly, the concentration of Pb and Zn were also high in Faisalabad with an average of 90.4 and 49.5 mg kg−1 and Cd was the lowest. Overall, Lahore showed higher pollution levels than Faisalabad. The risk assessment results of the DGM indicated that there were potential carcinogenic health risks associated with Cd, as his values were close or exceeded the permissible limit of 1 × 10−4. Non-carcinogenic risk assessment results were lower than value 1 for both cities which means there were no non-carcinogenic hazards for the residents. Higher Enrichment ratio (ER) and geo accumulation index (Igeo) showed increasing heavy metal pollution in both cities is a serious concern. Therefore this research provides a vital base and help to authorities for pollution control strategies, remediation, and regular monitoring in order to improve eco-sustainable cities and health of urbanites.

Status, Source and Environmental Pollution Assessment of Some Heavy Metals in Street Dust of Dezful City

Status, Source and Environmental Pollution Assessment of Some Heavy Metals in Street Dust of Dezful City

Pollution Characteristics and Potential Ecological Risks of Heavy Metals in Road Dust in Beijing

Based on the concentrations of 21 inorganic elements in particulate matter with diameters less than 10 μm (PM10) in 2004, and PM2.5 in 2004 and 2013 of representative road dust in Beijing, the pollution characteristics and potential ecological risks of heavy metals in this dust were analyzed and discussed. The results showed that the six main elements in road dust in Beijing were Si, Ca, Al, Fe, Mg, and K, and the proportions of the total content of the six elements in PM10 in 2004, PM2.5 in 2004, and PM2.5 in 2013 accounted for 96.51%, 96.42%, and 96.53% of the total content of all elements tested, respectively. The elemental enrichment level and the pollution degree and the potential ecological risk of heavy metal in road dust in Beijing in 2004 were PM2.5>PM10. Se, a characteristic element of coal dust, was highly enriched in PM2.5 in 2004, and Cd was high in PM10 and PM2.5 in 2004 with enrichment factors of 1024.03, 68.15, and 871.55, respectively. Co, Zn, Ca, and Cu were significantly enriched in PM10 and PM2.5 in 2004 with enrichment factors of 12.93, 12.33, 8.30, and 8.07 in PM10 and 17.41, 21.80, 12.83, and 19.73 in PM2.5, respectively; Na and Si were not enriched in the road dust. The pollution load index (PLI) of heavy metals was 3.95 in PM10 and 7.71 in PM2.5 in 2004. Owing to the implementation of dust, motor vehicles, and combustion source control measures in Beijing and the relocation of the Shougang corporation, the elemental enrichment level, pollution degree, and potential ecological risk of heavy metals in road dust PM2.5 in 2013 were significantly lower than those in 2004. The enrichment factors of Cd and Se in PM2.5 in 2013 decreased to 98.47 and 0.95, respectively; those of Cu, Ca, and Zn decreased to 11.90, 8.84, and 8.20, respectively; and PLI decreased to 2.56. The results showed that the total potential ecological risk of heavy metals in road dust in Beijing was extremely strong. Heavy metal Cd was the most significant pollution factor and the main potential ecological risk source; its potential ecological risk index (RI) contribution to the total RI of heavy metals was more than 85%. In 2004, the pollution degree of heavy metals in road dust of main roads was significantly higher than that for other road types. The pollution degree of heavy metals in PM10 was main road > expressway entrance to Beijing > secondary main road > ring road; that for PM2.5 was main road > ring road > expressway entrance to Beijing > secondary main road. For PM2.5 in 2013, however, the order was expressway entrance to Beijing > main road > ring road > secondary main road. The pollution degree of heavy metals in road dust of secondary main roads was significantly lower than that for other road types. In 2013, for road dust PM2.5 in Beijing, the correlation of heavy metals Ti, Zn, V, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Ni was significant owing mainly to traffic-related emissions.

Contribution of road dust from Low Impact Development (LID) construction sites to atmospheric pollution from heavy metals

The re-suspension of road dust due to intense Low Impact Development (LID) construction activities may be a major contributor to atmospheric metal pollution. However, the distribution characteristics, mobility potential, and pollutant load of atmospheric particles at LID construction sites are not clear. Consequently, management practices to mitigate air pollution from LID construction are lacking. We investigated the atmospheric metal pollution from road dust produced during different construction stages of rain gardens and porous pavements and estimated the ecological risks posed by the heavy metals. Although concentrations of heavy metals in road dust at LID construction sites were lower than at sites without LID construction, the ecological risks posed by the atmospheric heavy metals at LID construction sites were generally higher due to the greater mass of road dust produced during LID construction. Hence, LID management practices should focus on the removal of road dust, especially finer particles (<44 μm) produced during early construction stages. In roads, the zones influenced by LID construction is related to road types based on traffic volume; these road types in descending order of zone influenced by LID construction are: arterial road (400–600 m) > collector road (100–150 m) > access road (50–100 m) > laneway (30–50 m). Based on the study sites, we estimate LID construction in China will contribute 2.31 and 6.23 times as much as the current load of atmospheric particles by 2020 and 2030; and we project atmospheric heavy metals will be 1.45–2.18 and 2.82–4.73 times greater than the current load by 2020 and 2030 from the intense LID construction. Based on our results, several regulatory recommendations are presented to mitigate air pollution at LID construction sites.

Ecological and human health risk assessment of heavy metal contamination in road dust in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, India.

The present study was carried out to determine the contamination levels of heavy metals in road dust of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), India and its consequent effect on human and environment. The levels of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Mn, and Fe) in 9 districts (Z1-Z9) of NCT were monitored and the corresponding human health risk was estimated. District-wise evaluation of heavy metal pollution in the road dust was performed. The mean concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, Mn, and Fe in the road dust samples over the study area were 164.2 ± 53.2, 200.7 ± 45.3, 99.9 ± 64.8, 24.7 ± 5.7, 57.7 ± 25.9, 241.4 ± 39.8, and 11113.9 ± 1669.7 mg kg-1, respectively. PLI showed a high pollution load in the monitored nine locations, indicating an alarming condition and the urgent need for immediate remedial actions. Ecological risk assessment depicted that a 74% risk was attributed to Pb. Hazard quotient (HQ) values indicated that ingestion was the major pathway of road dust heavy metal exposure to human beings. Hazard index values showed that there was no probable non-carcinogenic risk of the heavy metals present in the road dust of the area. Children were found vulnerable to the risks of road dust metals. The findings of this study showed the alarming status of heavy metal contamination to road dust in NCT and the associated risk to human health.

Environmental Assessment of Some Heavy Metals Pollution in Street Dust in the Industrial Areas of Ahvaz

Background: High concentrations of heavy metals in street dust are considered to be a serious risk to human health and the environment. Therefore, investigating the concentration of heavy metals to monitor pollution and preserve the quality of the environment is essential. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the concentration, enrichment factor (EF), pollution index (PI), and Nemrow integrated pollution index (NIPI) of potentially heavy metals including Cr, Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, Ni, V, As, and Co in street dust in the industrial areas of Ahvaz. Methods: A total of 29 dust samples were collected from sidewalks of main streets of industrial areas of Ahvaz and were analyzed by the inductively coupled spectroscopy (ICP-OES) method. Results: The average concentration of heavy metals in Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd, Ni, V, As, and Co was respectively: 86, 999, 50, 57, 0.3, 58, 184, 6, and 13 (mg/kg), respectively. The mean concentration of all heavy metals in the samples of dust in the industrial areas of Ahvaz was several times higher than that of baseline values. Based on the average EF in the study area, Zn and Pb have extremely high enrichment. In addition, Zn, V, and Pb, with the highest PI average, displayed high pollution. In addition, the evaluation of NIPI showed that 100% of samples have high pollution. Conclusions: The source of pollution of studied metals was anthropogenic, such as urban industrial facilities, transport, vehicle traffic, and burning of fossil fuels in the studied area. Generally, some protective protocol are proposed to reduce the level of heavy metals pollution in the city of Ahvaz, such as environmental control of gases produced by industries and factories, increase of green space, conversion of liquid fuel to gaseous, and use of public transportation.

Assessment of trace elements concentration in road dust around the city of Kuala Lumpur

This study aimed to assess the concentrations and health effect of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn) in road dust of selected locations in the city of Kuala Lumpur. Sampling was conducted for three times at four locations namely Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Raja Abdullah, Jalan TAR and Jalan Ayer Molek. The concentration of heavy metals in road dust was analyzed by using ICP-MS. The study found that Jalan TAR has the highest concentrations for the heavy metals Cd (0.23 ± 0.04 mg/kg), Cu (116.39 ± 38.77 mg/kg), Ni (83.29 ± 23.66 mg/kg), Pb (43.53 ± 7.00 mg/kg) and second highest for Cr (34.69 ± 3.57 mg/kg) and Zn (86.22 ± 23.07). The pollution level of heavy metals in road dust were assessed by Pollution Index and Pollution Load Index, showing that all locations are highly contaminated except Jalan Ayer Molek. Health risk assessment was determined to access the health effect of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic to adults and children caused by exposure of heavy metals in road dust. Based on the integrated HI for children at all locations are more than 1. Indicating great chance of non-carcinogenic effects. All incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILTCR) values for adult and children at all locations are within acceptable limit. Traffic and activities that take place in these four locations are the sources of heavy metals. Jalan TAR which is loaded with commercial activities is the most polluted location followed by Jalan Raja Abdullah (commercial area), Jalan Tun Razak (highway area) and Jalan Ayer Molek (residential area).

Assessment of heavy metals in roadside dust along the Abu Dhabi–Al Ain National Highway, UAE

Concentrations of key heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cd, Ni, Cr, Mn, As, and Hg) have been investigated in roadside dust collected from Abu Dhabi–Al Ain National Highway in UAE. The heavy metals contents were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometer. Heavy metal levels varied widely from 227.9 to 2765, 19 to 1540, 37.4 to 398.6, 20.1 to 123, 0.3 to 0.7, 0.1 to 0.9, 0.1 to 0.7, and 0.1 to 0.5 mg/kg for Mn, Cr, Zn, Pb, Cd, Hg, Ni, and As, respectively. The spatial distribution pattern showed that different sources of roadway metal emissions dominate at specific locations. Peaks in heavy metal concentrations were frequently observed in locations with high traffic volume, road intersections and junctions, gas and bus stations. Decreased levels of heavy metals were measured in locations with low traffic loadings and in close proximity to farm and forest areas. In addition to traffic-related heavy metals, emissions from fossil fuel and industries remain of significance. Natural sources, through regular dust storms, are important contributors to the observed metal levels. Enrichment factor indicated that As and Ni were entirely originated from crustal sources. Cd, Zn, Pb, and Mn were moderately enriched and are probably derived from mixed sources (traffic flows, gas stations, construction and agricultural activities, among others). Road dust was significantly enriched in Cr and Hg indicating their dominant anthropogenic origin. The average geo-accumulation index values suggested that road dust are uncontaminated with Mn, Ni, and As, uncontaminated to moderately contaminated with Zn and Pb, and moderately contaminated with Cr, Cd, and Hg. The contamination factors indicated very highly contaminated road dust with Cr and Hg, considerably contaminated with Cd, and moderately contaminated with Mn, Zn, and Pb. Results of ecological risk assessment revealed that all heavy metals in road dust pose low risk to local ecosystems, except for Cd and Hg, which constitute potentially considerable risk and high risk, respectively.

Determination and Contamination Assessment of Heavy Metals in Street Dust from Different Types of Land-Use in Kathmandu District, Nepal

A total of forty seven street dust samples, collected from five different types of land use viz., industrial, urban, heavy traffic road, residential and undisturbed areas (control) of Kathmandu district (Nepal), were subjected to characterize the physico-chemical parameters such as pH, electrical conductance (EC), total alkalinity (T. Alk), total organic carbon (TOC) and particle size distribution. Four heavy metals of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were determined in dust samples using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS). It was found that all types of dust samples possessed alkaline nature along with variation in EC, T. Alk and TOC values. Results revealed that the dust of industrial areas contained high concentrations of Zn (143.3 mg/kg) and Cu (106.42 mg/kg), whereas the heavy traffic areas were mainly affected by Cd (0.90 mg/kg) and Pb (70.08 mg/kg). The average metal concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in dust of all the types of land use in Kathmandu were found to be 0.73, 68.86, 51.46 and 104.30 mg/kg and their average metal enrichment factors were 2.28, 5.50, 1.92 and 3.17, respectively. The results were also compared against heavy metals status in street dust from various cities/countries around the world. Pollution indices such as contamination factor (CF), degree of contamination (CD) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) showed different classes of metal contamination in street dust of Kathmandu indicating traffic emission, automobiles, construction and demolition activities and other anthropogenic activities as the potential sources.