[Characteristics and Health Risks of Metal Elements in House Dust in Baotou]

To understand the potential impact of metal elements in house dust in heavy industrial cities on human health, house dust samples were collected from 46 residential quarters of four urban districts of Baotou city. The contents of 13 metal elements were determined, and the pollution characteristics, sources, and health risks of metal elements were analyzed. The results showed that the enrichment factors and geo-accumulation indices of anthropogenic metals （Pb, As, Cu, Fe, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Zn） were extremely high, indicating a high pollution degree. The concentrations, enrichment factors, and geo-accumulation indices of iron smelting-related elements （Fe, Mn, Cr, and V） were in the order of Kundulun district > Qingshan district > Jiuyuan district > Donghe district, which was negatively correlated with the distance from the large iron smelting enterprise. Principal component analysis identified five sources： the iron and steel smelting source, natural source, nonferrous metal smelting source, traffic source, and coal combustion, among which iron and steel smelting and natural sources were the major sources of metal elements in house dust in Baotou. The results of health risk assessment suggested that ingestion and dermal contact were the major exposure pathways of metal elements in house dust in Baotou. The influence of the inhalation pathway could be ignored. All individual metal elements had no carcinogenic risk to adults or children. However, the combined action of all elements posed a certain non-carcinogenic risk to children. Ni, As, and Cr had carcinogenic health risks to both adults and children.