INDOOR AND OUTDOOR HOUSEHOLD DUST CONTAMINATION IN ...
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Environmental Geochemistry and Health (1998). 20. 123-133
Indoor and outdoor household dust contamination
in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Susanna T.Y. Tong
Department of Geography, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0131, USA.
Despite some progress in reducing the average lead level in the USA, the streets of Cincinnati, Ohio, are still
contaminated by heavy metals. High levels of heavy metals will have significant unequivocal ecological impacts and pose a potential health hazard. This study evaluates the level of heavy-metal contamination in
household dust and examines its relationships with the external environment Samples of outdoor and indoor
dust were collected from middle-income residential homes in the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan District
and the metal content was analysed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrophotometry. Results showed that the mean levels of lead in outdoor and indoor dusts are 650 fig g ~' and 377 /ig g ~' and the
copper levels are 253^gg"' and 510^gg~', respectively. The median levels are 156/igg~'and 139 ^gg~'
for outdoor and indoor lead dusts and 35 HQ g~' and 124 p.g g"' for outdoor and indoor copper dusts.The degree of contamination may be ascribable to the age of the dwelling unit and the neighbourhood, the time
when the unit was last painted, the presence of pets and the type of space heating. In addition, car exhausts
seems to be a possible source of contamination.
Keywords: Heavy metals, lead and copper pollution, household dust
Introduction
accumulate in the body, concentrating in the liver.'
kidneys, bones, teeth and brain (Landrigan et al..
Lead and copper are ubiquitous in the natural envir- 1985). High blood-lead levels (>60^g dL'l) can
onment. They are common impurities found in a damage internal organs and the central nervous sysvariety of minerals, rocks, and fossil fuels. The aver- tem, giving rise to adverse health effects, including
age content of lead in the Earth's crust is 10-30 anaemia, kidney failure and brain dysfunction
^ g g ~ ' (Davies. 1990). while the copper content is (Nriagu, 1988; Hammond and Dietrich, 1990). There
20-30 M g g " ' (Baker. 1990). Both metals are widely is increasing information that at even lower levels of
used in industries, such as. mining, smelting, re- lead exposure ( ................
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