scholarly journals Assessment of Heavy Metals and Color as Indicators of Contamination in Street Dust of a City in SE Spain: Influence of Traffic Intensity and Sampling Location

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pura Marín Sanleandro ◽  
Antonio Sánchez Navarro ◽  
Elvira Díaz-Pereira ◽  
Francisco Bautista Zuñiga ◽  
Miriam Romero Muñoz ◽  
...  

In the present work, a sampling grid of the urban core of the city of Murcia (South East Spain) was designed in order to analyze street dust, focusing on the contents of the heavy metals Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn and their relationships with the color of the sample, the traffic pattern, and the location where they were sampled (sidewalks, ledges, and roads). The characterization of the samples was carried out by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, whereas the heavy metals were extracted by acid digestion and determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The concentration (mg/kg) in urban dust of the city of Murcia was highest for Zn (653), followed by Cu (201) > Pb (177) > Cr (117) > Ni (51) >> Cd (0.5). The color expounded statistically significant differences with regard to the heavy metals, including the pollutant load. The same pattern was found when the classification variable was the traffic intensity, except in the case of Ni. The areas with a higher risk of contamination by heavy metals in the urban dust are the ledges of narrow city center streets with moderate traffic, where Zn and Pb seem to accumulate most greatly.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0261957
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz G. Alghamdi ◽  
Mohamed H. EL-Saeid ◽  
Abdulhakim J. Alzahrani ◽  
Hesham M. Ibrahim

Depending on their particle size and concentration, heavy metals in urban dust pose a health hazard to humans. This study investigated the total concentration, health risk, integrated pollution load index (IPI), and enrichment factor (EF) of various heavy metals in urban dust at different locations in Riyadh City. Surface dust samples were collected from 50 different residential yards in the north, south, west, east, and central corners of the city and analyzed for cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn). With respect to concentrations heavy metals were in the following order Zn > Cu > Mn > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cd. The EF trends exposed repeated anthropogenic activities were responsible for Mn, Cr, and Ni, while Pb, Zn, and Cu appeared to come from Earth’s crust. Since the heavy metal concentrations were lower than the threshold values, children and adults are exposed to lower health risk in investigated area. Also, there are no pollution of heavy metals in the dust with respect to IPI which is less than the critical limit (<1) with the exception of a sampling location in north side of the city with higher IPI showed unhealthy respiration conditions in particular areas. It was concluded that rapid industrialization and urbanization and their concentrations in dust may cause health problems in near future in north side as well as other sides of Riyadh City.


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 891
Author(s):  
Chikumbusko Chiziwa Kaonga ◽  
Ishmael Bobby Mphangwe Kosamu ◽  
Wells Robert Utembe

This review gives insights into the levels of metals in urban dust, their determination methods, and risk assessment. Urban dust harbors a number of pollutants, including heavy metals. There are various methods used for the sampling of urban dust for heavy-metal analysis and source-apportionment purposes, with the predominant one being the use of plastic sampling materials to avoid prior contamination. There are also various methods for the determination of metals, which include: atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), among others. Studies have shown that pollutants in urban dust are mainly derived from industrial activities and coal combustion, whereas traffic emissions are also an important, but not a predominant source of pollution. The varying particle-size distribution of urban dust and its large surface area makes it easier for the deposition and transport of heavy metals. Risk-assessment studies have shown that metals in urban dust could cause such problems as human pulmonary toxicity and reduction of invertebrate populations. The risk levels seem to be higher in children than adults, as some studies have shown. It is therefore important that studies on metals in urban dust should always incorporate risk assessment as one of the main issues.


2015 ◽  
Vol 1113 ◽  
pp. 759-763
Author(s):  
Zitty Sarah Ismail ◽  
Nurzulaifa Shaheera Erne Mohd Yasim ◽  
Farhana Mazlan ◽  
Suhanom Mohd Zaki

The purpose of the present study is to identify and to analyze of selected elemental composition in a multi storey house. The concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn) were determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) after digestion with nitric acid and sulphuric acid. The results showed that the highest concentration of heavy metals in eight investigated microenvironment was Fe. The heavy metals concentration were in the order of Fe > Cr > Zn > Cu > Pb > Mn > Ni. All six heavy metals concentration at four different levels of multi storey house were followed the order of Level 1 > Level 2 > Level 3 > Level 4. The correlation analysis was applied to metals variable in order to identify the sources of airborne contaminant.It was indicated that the possible contributor heavy metals in multi storey houses were originated from outdoor sources such as vehicle exhausts, street dust and indoor sources such as cooking, smoking, and cleaning activities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 4348
Author(s):  
Paola Fermo ◽  
Simona Masiero ◽  
Mario Rosa ◽  
Giovanna Labella ◽  
Valeria Comite

The present research focuses on the use of Chlorophytum comosum as a bio-indicator able to accumulate, through its leaves, heavy metals present in the aerosol particulate matter (PM) in the city of Milan (Italy). For this purpose, some specimens were exposed in selected sites at the Milan University Campus for increasing periods (7, 30, 60, 128 and 165 days). The collected leaves were then analyzed to quantify Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP–OES). The leaves’ surfaces were also examined by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersion spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Chlorophytum comosum has proved to be a good system for studying the accumulation of heavy metals. The metals present with the higher concentration were Zn and Mn followed by Cd and Cr while Co, Ni and Pb were present in lower concentration. Although the sites investigated are not very far from each other, differences in the concentration of the heavy metals analyzed were found. Furthermore, in the monitoring period considered (July 2018–December 2018) the plant was a good proxy for tracking the concentration of zinc in Milan’s PM.


Author(s):  
Elisabet Navarro-Tapia ◽  
Mariona Serra-Delgado ◽  
Lucía Fernández-López ◽  
Montserrat Meseguer-Gilabert ◽  
María Falcón ◽  
...  

Kohl is a traditional cosmetic widely used in Asia and Africa. In recent years, demand for kohl-based eyelids and lipsticks has increased in Europe, linked to migratory phenomena of populations from these continents. Although the European legislation prohibits the use of heavy metals in cosmetics due to the harmful effects to human health, particularly to pregnant women and children, these elements are still present in certain products. The European Union recommended levels are Pb < 20 ppm, As < 5 ppm, Cd < 5 ppm, Sb < 100 ppm, and Ni < 200 ppm. In Germany, levels are more restrictive: Pb < 2 ppm, As < 0.5 ppm, Cd < 0.1 ppm, Sb < 0.5 ppm, and Ni < 10 ppm. Here, we analyzed 12 kohl-based cosmetics in different presentations (powder, paste, and pencil) that were purchased in Spanish and German local shops. An inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrophotometer was used to identify toxic elements and heavy metals. Levels of Pb ranged between 1.7 and 410,000 ppm in six of the study samples, four of which had levels above the recommended limit of at least two heavy metals. Arsenic (a carcinogenic element) values were within the range allowed by the EU in only 58% of the studied samples. Moreover, two products doubled this limit, reaching levels of 9.2 and 12.6 ppm. In one of the products, cadmium, related to toxic keratitis, was four times higher (20.7 ppm) than that allowed, while in two other products, these limits were doubled (11.8 and 12.7 ppm). Our results indicate the need to supervise the manufacture of kohl-based traditional products and the analysis of their composition prior distribution in European countries.


2021 ◽  
pp. 096032712199321
Author(s):  
M Charehsaz ◽  
S Helvacıoğlu ◽  
S Çetinkaya ◽  
R Demir ◽  
O Erdem ◽  
...  

In this study, the level of arsenic (As), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) and also essential elements in beer samples consumed in Turkey were investigated using the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method. The heavy metal-induced non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks were calculated. For essential elements, the calculated estimated daily intake of iron (Fe), copper (Cu), selenium (Se) and cobalt (Co) from beer consumption were compared with their toxicity reference values. Tukey post-hoc test showed that As was found at a significantly higher level when compared to Pb. Also, a significant correlation was found between As level and alcohol by volume percent. All samples had a hazard quotient and hazard index <1, indicating no non-carcinogenic risk from exposure to single or multiple heavy metals. Some samples exceeded the threshold limit of acceptable cancer risk for As in the high beer consumer group. This assessment showed that in addition to health implications based on the alcohol content of beer, there might be a carcinogenic risk associated with the heavy metals content of these beverages.


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