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Evaluating heavy metals contamination in campus dust in Wuhan, the university cluster in Central China: distribution and potential human health risk analysis

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Abstract

The potential health risk of heavy metals (HMs) in campus dust may threaten the health of thousands of students, teachers, and their families in Wuhan, the university cluster in Central China every day. In this research, the pollution characteristics and health risk with HMs was the first time presented in campus dust from the canteen, playground, dormitory, and school gate to date. The average HMs concentration in campus dusts ranked Pb (83.5 mg kg−1) > Cu (70.2 mg kg−1) > Zn (47.2 mg kg−1) > Cr (46.0 mg kg−1) > Ni (22.7 mg kg−1) > As (15.2 mg kg−1) > Cd (3.38 mg kg−1). The HMs would more likely to accumulate in dormitory dust and canteen dust. In the downtown area, Zn, As, and Cd had been preliminarily identified from fossil fuel combustion and natural geochemical processes. Cu and Pb would source from cooking and traffic transportation. Ni and Cr would likely reflect the contributions of natural soil weathering. No significant non-carcinogenic health risks were found to students or teachers from campus dust. Their children would more likely to exposure health risks when eating in the canteen, playing on the playground, or walking around the school gate. While the incremental lifetime cancer risk values revealed respiratory intake of HMs does not pose a carcinogenic risk on the campus.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Young Talents Project of Science and Technology Research Program of Hubei Education Department (Q20204503), The National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFC0212602), The Scientific and Technological Innovation Team of the Outstanding Young and Mid-age in the college of Hubei Province (T201729). Foundation of Talent Introduction Project of Hubei Polytechnic University (18xjz10R), and the Open Foundation of Hubei Key Laboratory of Mine Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation (2018103). Key Scientific Research Project of Hubei Institute of Water Resources Survey and Design (HBSYKY202112)

Funding

This work was supported by 1. The Young Talents Project of Science and Technology Research Program of Hubei Education Department (Q20204503). 2. The National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFC0212602), The Scientific and Technological Innovation Team of the Outstanding Young and Mid-age in the college of Hubei Province (T201729). 3. Foundation of Talent Introduction Project of Hubei Polytechnic University (18xjz10R). 4. The Open Foundation of Hubei Key Laboratory of Mine Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation (2018103). 5. Key Scientific Research Project of Hubei Institute of Water Resources Survey and Design (HBSYKY202112).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, 435003, China

    Shan Liu, Xihao Zhang, Changlin Zhan, Jiaquan Zhang, Jun Xu, Anglv Wang, Huidi Zhang, Jianlin Guo & Xianli Liu

  2. Hubei Key Laboratory of Mine Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, 435003, China

    Shan Liu, Changlin Zhan, Jiaquan Zhang, Jun Xu, Anglv Wang, Huidi Zhang, Jianlin Guo & Xianli Liu

  3. Department of Ecology Environment of Hubei Province, Huangshi Ecological Environmental Monitoring Center, Huangshi, 435000, Hubei, China

    Jiangyan Xu

  4. School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Xinli Xing

  5. Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Junji Cao

  6. School of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430081, China

    Yulun Xiao

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  1. Shan Liu
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Contributions

We would like to introduce the individual author contributions as follows: conceptualization: [SL], [JZ], data curation: [XZ], [JX], formal analysis: [SL], funding acquisition: [JZ], [XL], investigation: [XZ], [JX], [AW], [HZ], [JX], [YX], project administration: [JZ], resources: [JG], [XX], supervision: [JC], writing—original draft: [SL], writing—review and editing: [CZ].

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Correspondence to Jiaquan Zhang.

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Liu, S., Zhang, X., Zhan, C. et al. Evaluating heavy metals contamination in campus dust in Wuhan, the university cluster in Central China: distribution and potential human health risk analysis. Environ Earth Sci 81, 210 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-022-10321-z

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