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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trace metals in mosque’s carpet dust of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and their health risk implications

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Abstract

The main objectives of this work were to identify and determine the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and trace metals in carpet dust samples from various mosques of the city of Riyadh and to assess the health risks associated with the exposure to these pollutants. Therefore, 31 samples of mosque’s carpet dust from Riyadh were collected. The results showed that 14 PAHs were present in the dust samples with concentrations ranged from 90 to 22,146 ng g−1 (mean = 4096 ± 4277 ng g−1) where low molecular weight compounds were dominant. The presence of PAHs were in the order of naphthalene > chrysene and benzo(b)fluoranthene > benzo(a)pyrene > acenaphthene and benzo(k)fluoranthene > pyrene and the absence of indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene and dibenz(a,h)anthracene. The diagnostic ratio coupled with principle component analysis (PCA) revealed mix sources of petrogenic from traffic, stack emission, and pyrogenic inputs from essence and perfumed wood burning. Trace metals were significant in the dust samples, and their concentrations decrease in the order of Zn, Mn, Cu, Cr, Pb, Ni, and V where Zn being the highest (94.4 ± 91.5 μg g−1) and indium was the lowest (1.9 ± 9.3 μg g−1). The trace metals were major in southern and central parts of Riyadh and followed the order of central Riyadh > southern Riyadh > western Riyadh > eastern Riyadh > northern Riyadh. Estimated risk based on the total PAHs was found to be 4.30 × 10−11 for adult and 1.56 × 10−11 for children. Elemental non-cancer risk for adults ranged from 7.9 × 10−4 for Co to 7.58 × 10−1 for Li and for children ranged from 3.70 × 10−3 for Co to 3.54 for Li. Policy implication and mitigations of PAHs in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia were highlighted.

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Acknowledgments

This project was funded by the National Plan for Science, Technology, and Innovation (MAARIFAH), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Award Number (NPST 09-ENV-1020-02).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Protection and Chair of Green Energy Research, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Aarif H. El-Mubarak, Ahmed I. Rushdi, Khalid F. Al-Mutlaq, Ramil S. Dumenden & Rex A. Pascua

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan

    Aarif H. El-Mubarak

  3. College of Earth, Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Ahmed I. Rushdi

  4. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Sana’a University, Sana’a, Yemen

    Ahmed I. Rushdi

  5. Environmental Science Program, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Falah Z. Al Mdawi & Khalid Al-Hazmi

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  1. Aarif H. El-Mubarak
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  2. Ahmed I. Rushdi
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Correspondence to Aarif H. El-Mubarak.

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Responsible editor: Hongwen Sun

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El-Mubarak, A.H., Rushdi, A.I., Al-Mutlaq, K.F. et al. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trace metals in mosque’s carpet dust of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and their health risk implications. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 21273–21287 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7299-4

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