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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