Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Žibret, Gorazd
• Rokavec, Duška

Titel

Household dust and street sediment as an indicator of recent heavy metals in atmospheric emissions: a case study on a previously heavily contaminated area

Ist Teil von

• Environmental earth sciences, 2010-08, Vol.61 (3), p.443-453

Ort / Verlag

Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag

Erscheinungsjahr

2010

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Determination of the origin of heavy metals in the household dust and street sediment in a previously heavily contaminated area was carried out. The main question addressed was the origin of heavy metals in dry and wet air deposits measured in the environmental monitoring programme of the community of Celje. There are two possible sources: present atmospheric emissions by industries in Celje and dusting of previously heavily contaminated soil. Determination of the present emissions was done on the basis of a method based on enrichment factor calculations. Samples of soil, street sediment and household dust in the contaminated area and in a non-contaminated sampling point were analysed. Expected heavy metal concentrations in household dust and street sediment in the previously heavily polluted area according to the level of measured soil contamination were calculated. Expected and measured values were compared to detect possible present atmospheric emissions. The data show higher enrichment with elements related to ironworking activities (Fe, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni) in household dust and street sediment, according to the concentrations in the soil in the vicinity of ironworks in comparison to the reference point. Similar observations can be made at the sampling point, east of a factory producing TiO 2 -based white pigment for Ti, because emissions from it are expected. In contrast, the same trend is not observed for elements related to pollution problems in Celje (Cd, Zn, Pb). This indicated that street sediment and household dust might be a good tracer of present atmospheric emissions, despite the fact that the environment was previously highly contaminated. The method yields good results, which fit very well with expectations.