Evaluation of Health Risks in Cairo due to Deposited Dust Contaminated with Heavy Metals
Publication: Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 24, Issue 3
Abstract
Heavy metals in deposited dust at five urban districts in Cairo, Egypt, during 2015 were studied. Risk assessment modeling was applied to evaluate health risks of these metals for adults and children. The results show that contamination levels of metals were in the order of Ni > Cr > Ba > Cu > Zn > Cd > Pb > Co, suggesting a very high degree of contamination of deposited dust in Cairo.The daily doses exposure was ranked in the order Dingestion > Ddermal contact > Dinhalation for children and adults (carcinogenic risk), while in the case of adult noncarcinogenic risk the ranking order was Ddermal contact > Dinhalation > Dingestion at all sampling sites. The highest contribution to hazard indices in children was from hazard quotients (HQing), compared with low or negligible contribution of HQing in the case of adults. The carcinogenic risk was assessed for adults and children via three exposure routes with order of Ringestion > Rdermal contact > Rinhalation. Finally, cancer risk values for heavy metals in Cairo are within the safe levels.
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Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 24 • Issue 3 • July 2020
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© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jan 29, 2019
Accepted: Nov 12, 2019
Published online: Mar 30, 2020
Published in print: Jul 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Aug 31, 2020
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