Health Risks Assessment of Heavy Metals in Indoor and Outdoor Air Measured with x-ray Fluorescence

Mostafa, Mostafa; Mohamed, Amer; Mahmoud, Mona Moustafa; Hanfi, Mohamed; Ahmed, Abdelrhman A; Khalaf, Hyam

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2022.133654.5894

Health Risks Assessment of Heavy Metals in Indoor and Outdoor Air Measured with x-ray Fluorescence

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Minia University, Minia, 61519, Egypt

² Ural Federal University, Mira St 19, Ekaterinburg, 620002, Russia

³ Minia university, Faculty of science, Physics department

10.21608/ejchem.2022.133654.5894

Abstract

There are many growing concerns about environmental pollution and public health issues associated with surrounding heavy metals. Heavy metals are constantly emitted into the environment (indoor and outdoor) and pose a major threat to human health, the threat is linked to the presence of Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Cd, and Zn in dust, which consists of mineral and organic particles originating from the soil, industrial emitters, motor vehicles, and fuel consumption or other sources indoor like cooking, cigarettes etc. The present study aimed to investigate the potentially toxic metal (Zn, Fe, Cr, Ni, and Cu). Air dust samples were collected from indoor air at El-Minia city, Egypt. Heavy metals contents were performed using X-ray fluorescence (WDX). Human health risk of the measured heavy metals concentration was evaluated. The concentrations of heavy metals were found higher outdoor than indoor except Cu concentration was higher in indoor (25010±3751.5 mg kg-1) compared to outdoor (50±7.5 mg kg-1). The results show a widespread heavy metal contamination, especially Cu and Fe, which were present as the highest values in indoor and outdoor dust, while Sr was the lowest content. Indoor and outdoor concentration ratios varied widely from one metal to another. A contamination factor is used to explain the originality of the measured heavy metals. The non-carcinogenic risk was assessed for adults and children via dermal contact route with order. In addition, non-cancerogenic risk values for heavy metals in El-Minia are not significant. Where, the calculated Hazard quotient (HQdermal) value was lower than the acceptable HQdermal value of 1 indicating no significant non-cancer risk to the people from exposure to these heavy metals at present.

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