Distribution of potentially harmful elements in attic dust from the City of Coronel (Chile)

Attic dusts provide an indirect measure of airborne pollutants deposited in the urban environment. The objectives of this study are: (1) to determine the concentrations of As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, V and Zn in attic dust in the City of Coronel, (2) to evaluate the source apportionment of PHE and (3) to assess the risk of health effects from exposure in adults and children. In the City of Coronel, attic dust samples were collected in 19 houses. The concentrations of As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, V and Zn were measured in ICP-OES after Aqua Regia digestion of < 75 µm dust sample. The median (and the range) concentration (mg kg^-1) of potentially harmful elements was: As 16 (7-72), Ba 154 (53-251), Cd 0.8 (0.25-14.5), Co 12, (8-22), Cr 38 (22-482), Cu 107 (44-1641), Mn 698 (364-1245), Ni 51 (24-1734), Pb 66 (18-393), Sr 131 (52-252), V 129 (57-376) and Zn 815 (107-9761). The exploratory data analysis shows that Ni, Cu, Cr, Zn, Pb and As distribution is dominated by anthropogenic sources and characterized by high extreme values. Principal component analysis shows four factors. One factor is geogenic, while the other three factors are associated with transport emissions and the industrial park. The resulting median of cumulative noncarcinogenic risk (HI_s) value for attic dust was 3.49 for children. This is significant, as any value greater than one indicates an elevated risk.