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Heavy Metal Concentrations in and Around Households Near a Secondary Lead Smelter

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Abstract

Housedusts and garden soils were sampled in 14 houses in the vicinity of a secondary Pb smelter and analysed for concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, As, and Hg. Sixty-one topsoil samples were also taken from a 2 km2 grid covering the smelter grounds and surrounding residential areas and analysed for concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cd and Cu. Contour maps generated from the grid data indicate significant contamination in the area (maximum Pb concentration 58 500 μg g-1), particularly down-wind of the smelter grounds. A geometric mean Pb concentration of 2225 μg g-1 was recorded in garden soil and similarly elevated levels were recorded for Zn, Cd, As and Sb. In housedusts, a geometric mean Pb concentration of 1668 μg g-1 was observed. Whilst housedust metal concentrations were generally elevated, compared to other urban or residential areas, there appears to be a large degree of attenuation of the metals between the exterior and interior environments of the homes studied. A significant correlation was not recorded between metal concentrations of garden soils and housedusts. There were significant correlations for: distance from the smelter against garden soil metal concentrations; garden soil metal concentrations against each other; housedust metal concentrations against each other; and house age against garden soil metal concentrations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Geochemistry Research, Centre for Environmental Technology, Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, Prince Consort Rd, London, U.K

    John S. Rieuwerts & Margaret Farago

  2. National Institute of Public Health, Centre of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases, Srobarova 48, Prague, Czech Republic

    Miroslav Cikrt

  3. First Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

    Vladimir Bencko

Authors
  1. John S. Rieuwerts
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  2. Margaret Farago
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  3. Miroslav Cikrt
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  4. Vladimir Bencko
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Correspondence to John S. Rieuwerts.

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Rieuwerts, J.S., Farago, M., Cikrt, M. et al. Heavy Metal Concentrations in and Around Households Near a Secondary Lead Smelter. Environ Monit Assess 58, 317–335 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006058331453

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