Trace metals in different socioeconomic indoor residential settings, implications for human health via dust exposure

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety Vol. 189; p. 109927
• Main Authors: Salem Ali Albar, Hussain Mohammed, Ali, Nadeem, Musstjab Akber Shah Eqani, Syed Ali, Alhakamy, Nabil A., Nazar, Ehtisham, Rashid, Muhammad Imtiaz, Shahzad, Khurram, Ibrahim Ismail, Iqbal Mohammad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01.02.2020
• Subjects: Adult; Air Pollution, Indoor - statistics & numerical data; Cadmium; Chromium; Copper; Dust - analysis; Environmental Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Environmental Monitoring; Floor and AC filter dust; Heavy Metal Poisoning; Heavy metals; Households; Human exposure; Humans; Manganese; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Risk Assessment; Saudi Arabia; Socioeconomic Factors; Trace Elements; Zinc; Saudi Arabia; Households; Heavy metals; Floor and AC filter dust; Human exposure
• ISSN: 0147-6513; 1090-2414; 1090-2414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.109927

In this study a number of heavy metals namely chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), barium (Ba), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), rubidium (Rb), selenium (Se) are studied in the floor and air condition (AC) filter dust collected from urban and rural households of Saudi Arabia. To the best of our knowledge, many of these heavy metals are reported for the very first time in the indoor dust of Saudi Arabia. Studied metals were higher in urban dust than rural except Mn and Rb which were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in rural dust. All metals, except Cd, Zn, and Ba in urban settings, were detected at higher (P < 0.05) levels in AC filter dust than household floor dust from both rural and urban residential settings. Levels of the two dominant metals i.e., Zn and Mn were up to 1600 and 700 μg/g, respectively in studied dust samples. Also associations between heavy metals and a number of different socio-economic parameters were studied which was significant for some trace metals. In literature exposure to many of trace metals are associated with various health problems, therefore health risk assessment for the Saudi population was calculated by incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) and hazardous index (HI) via dust ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. The ILCR for all metals was within the tolerable range of reference values of USEPA (1 × 10− 11 to 1 × 10− 4). However, calculated HI for Mn, Cu, Ni, and Zn was more than 1 via dust exposure, which signifies the non-carcinogenic risk. The study highlights the occurrence of toxic metals in the indoor environments of Saudi Arabia and provides baseline data for future studies on these toxic metals in the region. [Display omitted] •AC filter dust was more contaminated with trace metals than floor dust.•Cr, Ni, Cd, Cu, Zn, and Ba were high in urban household dust than rural.•Impact of socioeconomic parameters on the presence of trace metals was studied.•Dust ingestion was the major exposure route.•Hazard index to Ni and Mn was high for both urban and rural Saudi populations.