Concentrations, sources and health risk assessments of heavy metals in ground surface dust from urban bus terminals of Fuzhou city

Xiao Fei Li, Zhi Biao Chen*, Yong He Zhang, Zhi Qiang Chen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Heavy metals in urban ground surface dust are one of the most serious threats affecting human health and urban environments. Concentrations, sources and health risk assessments of heavy metals in ground surface dust from bus terminals in Fuzhou City were studied to evaluate their pollution levels. The results showed that concentrations of Cr, Cu, Zn and Cd in ground surface dust were 2.74, 4.21, 4.01 and 4.68 times higher than those in the urban soil of Fuzhou City. Co, Ni and Mn in dust came from urban soils; Cd, Pb and Cu were possibly related to transportation process; Cr was mainly associated with urban soil and transportation process; Zn originated from compound pollutant sources including transportation process, urban domestic pollution and industrial activities. The exposure dose and non-cancer risk of heavy metals through exposure decreased as: ingestion>dermal absorption>inhalation. The non-cancer risk for children was higher than for adults. Meanwhile, the cancer risk of heavy metals declined in the order of Cd>Ni>Cr. Heavy metals in ground surface dust from urban bus terminals are mainly affected by transportation process.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)906-912
Number of pages7
JournalResearch of Environmental Sciences
Volume26
Issue number8
StatePublished - Aug 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Exposure dose
  • Ground surface dust from bus terminals
  • Health risk assessment
  • Heavy metals
  • Sources

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