IJERPH, Vol. 20, Pages 6207: Distribution of Minor and Major Metallic Elements in Residential Indoor Dust: A Case Study in Latvia

This article presents the study results obtained through the analysis of collected dust samples from 46 dwellings, both in the capital of Latvia, Riga, and in smaller cities. Two methods were employed for indoor dust collection: vacuum sampling and manual sampling with a brush and plastic spatula. After microwave-assisted acid extraction, the samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in terms of the major (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Al and Fe) and minor (Mn, Ni, Co, Pb, Cr, As, Ba, Li, Be, B, V, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr, Cd, La, Ce and Bi) elements. For the data analysis, principal component analysis was performed. Among the measured metals, the highest values were determined for the macro and most abundant elements (Na > K > Ca > Fe > Mg > Al). The concentration ranges of the persistently detected elements were as follows: Pb, 0.27–1200 mg kg−1; Cd, 0.01–6.37 mg kg−1; Ni, 0.07–513 mg kg−1; As, 0.01–69.2 mg kg−1; Cu, 5.71–1900 mg kg−1; Zn, 53.6–21,100 mg kg−1; and Cr, 4.93–412 mg kg−1. The critical limit values of metallic elements in soil defined by the legislation of the Republic of Latvia (indicating the level at or above which the functional characteristics of soil are disrupted, or pollution poses a dir...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research