Abstract
Dust fallout in educational and light industrial areas in Kuwait was collected on monthly basis during the period from January to December 2014 at five sites. In addition, 20 dust fallout sediment samples were analyzed for TPH (total petroleum hydrocarbon) and heavy metals related to traffic and industrial activities such as As, copper (Cu), Mn, lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn). The results of this study reveal that: (1) monthly average dust deposition rates varied from 5.1 in educational areas to 50.6 g/m2 in industrial areas, with average deposition rate of 16 g/m2; (2) the average concentrations for Zn, As, and Pb in the dust samples were up to 8.6, 7.3, and 6.5 times, respectively, higher than soil background values in Kuwait; (3) As, Cu, Pb, and Zn show significant enrichment relative to the upper continental crustal component (Mn); (4) contamination factor analysis for Pb, Zn, and As shows very high contamination level; and (5) TPH was the dominant pollutant in the dust samples. The distribution of the heavy metals in dust fallout and variation in its monthly deposition rates from site to site seem to be attributed mainly to the volume of traffic activities.
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This work was supported by Science Analytical Facilities (SAF) at Kuwait University.
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Al-Awadhi, J.M., AlKandary, D.S. & Al-Taisan, W.A. TPH and heavy metal contents of dust fallout: a case study in educational and industrial areas in Kuwait. Arab J Geosci 9, 72 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-2164-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-2164-1