Bioaccessibility Studies of Potentially Toxic Elements in Dust From Offices

Abstract

Potentially toxic elements are commonly referred to as heavy metals which are toxic and cannot be broken down. Potentially toxic  elements are known to have a negative impact on humanhealthespecially children through oral ingestion, dermal and inhalation. In this  study, the total metal concentration was determined in dust samples from selected offices of some tertiary institutions. Four dust  samples were collected from different locations using a brush and plastic scoop. Afterwards, dust samples were naturally air dried and  sieved through a 45μmmesh sieve andthenacid digested. Results of the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) analysis of the dust  samples revealed the order of accumulation of cadmium and manganese in all sample locations. Contamination factor of Cd and Mn in all  the four tertiary institutions were of lowconcentration. Also, the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk was calculated based on the  model developedbyUnited States Environmental Protection Agency. For human health risk, the order of decreasingrisk were ingestion  >dermal>inhalation. This study shows that dusts from offices have effect on humans working in the office as it is the accumulation of  settled toxic elements and humans spendmore time indoors than outdoors.