Pollution Characteristics and Human Health Risks of Elements in Road Dust in Changchun, China

Na Li, Weizheng Han, Jie Tang, Jianmin Bian, Siyue Sun and Tiehong Song
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Na Li: Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
Weizheng Han: Changchun Institute of Urban Planning & Designing, Changchun 130031, China
Jie Tang: Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
Jianmin Bian: Key Laboratory of Groundwater Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
Siyue Sun: Key Laboratory of Songliao Aquatic Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun 130118, China
Tiehong Song: Key Laboratory of Songliao Aquatic Environment, Ministry of Education, Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun 130118, China

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-13

Abstract: Road dust, which contains trace elements and certain organic matter that can be harmful to human health, plays an important role in atmospheric pollution. In this paper, concentrations of 16 elements in the road dust of Changchun, China were determined experimentally. A total of 100 samples were collected using plastic brushes and dustpans, and the elements were analyzed by an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). It was indicated that the elements could be divided into major and trace elements. The concentration of trace elements followed the trend: mercury (Hg) > manganese (Mn) > zinc (Zn) > lead (Pb) > chromium (Cr) > copper (Cu) > vanadium (V) > arsenic (As) > nickel (Ni) > cobalt (Co) > cadmium (Cd). Contamination-level-assessment calculated by the geo-accumulation index (I geo ) showed that the pollution-level ranged from non-contaminated to extreme contamination, while the calculations of enrichment factor (EF) showed that EF values exhibited a decreasing trend: Cd > Hg > As > Pb > Cu > Co > Zn > Ni > Cr > V > Mn > Mg > Fe > Sr > Ba. In our study, ingestion was the greatest exposure pathway for humans to intake trace elements by calculating the average daily dose (ADD) from three routes (ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact). According to the health risk assessment results, the non-carcinogenic risks that human beings suffered from these elements were insignificant. Additionally, the hazard quotient (HQ) values were approximately one-tenth in the case of children. Meanwhile, the total excess cancer risk (ECR) was also lower than the acceptable level (10 −6 –10 −4 ) for both adults and children.

Keywords: road dust; trace elements; enrich factor; average daily dose; cancer risk (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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