Heavy metals in road dust across China: occurrence, sources and health risk assessment

Huang, Fei; Liu, Baolin; Yu, Yong; Lv, Linyang; Luo, Xinyu; Yin, Fangyuan

doi:10.1007/s00128-022-03558-8

Published: 17 June 2022

Heavy metals in road dust across China: occurrence, sources and health risk assessment

Fei Huang¹,
Baolin Liu²,
Yong Yu³,
Linyang Lv²,
Xinyu Luo² &
Fangyuan Yin²

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology volume 109, pages 323–331 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

We investigated the occurrence of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in 28 road dust samples collected across China from June to August, 2020. The mean concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were 3.16, 24.2, 27.4, 10.4, 49.8 and 608 mg·kg^− 1, respectively. The mean levels of Cd and Zn exceeded the Chinese background values by 32.6- and 8.2- fold. Cd, Ni mainly distributed in southern China, whereas Cu, Pb and Zn mainly distributed in central China. Higher concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu and Pb were found in road dusts from urban areas than those from rural areas. Cu and Ni mainly came from natural sources; Pb and Cd mainly originated from industrial emissions and vehicle exhaust. Hand-mouth ingestion was the most common exposure pathway for both adults and children, followed by dermal contact and inhalation. Pb was found to be the highest risk element via ingestion. No significant non-carcinogenic risks and carcinogenic risks were found for local residents.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Science and Technology Development Program of Jilin Province (20200403020SF); the Natural Science Foundation of Changchun Normal University (2019009).

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Authors and Affiliations

Technology Center Laboratory, Jilin Tobacco Industrial Co. Ltd, 130031, Changchun, China
Fei Huang
College of Chemistry, Changchun Normal University, 130032, Changchun, China
Baolin Liu, Linyang Lv, Xinyu Luo & Fangyuan Yin
Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130102, Changchun, China
Yong Yu

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Fei Huang
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Baolin Liu
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Yong Yu
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Linyang Lv
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Xinyu Luo
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Fangyuan Yin
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Correspondence to Baolin Liu.

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Huang, F., Liu, B., Yu, Y. et al. Heavy metals in road dust across China: occurrence, sources and health risk assessment. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 109, 323–331 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-022-03558-8

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Received: 15 April 2021
Accepted: 16 May 2022
Published: 17 June 2022
Issue Date: August 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-022-03558-8

Keywords

Heavy metals
Road dust
Source
Health risk assessment