Use of house dust and soil ratios to prioritize elements for future air quality investigations

Paloma I. Beamer, Michelle Kelly, Anastasia Sugeng, Dave W. Layton

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

We obtained yard soil and indoor dust samples from 10 houses in Tucson, Arizona. All samples were sieved to <63 microns and analyzed for 29 elements via ICP-MS following nitric acid digestion. We calculated the ratios of the concentration of elements in house dust to the exterior soils. The geometric mean of the ratios ranged from 0.55-24.21. Ratios greater than 1 can indicate both indoor and outdoor sources other than soil track-in on footwear or from aeolian resuspension. The elements with the lowest ratios were manganese and beryllium. The elements with the highest ratios were zinc, silicon, tin and sodium. In general, the geometric standard deviations of the ratios are the highest for those elements that are derived from atmospheric sources. These results are very different from similar samples collected in Ottawa, Canada, indicating that they are specific to the region due to unique soil mineralogy and contaminant sources.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication12th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate 2011
Pages2913-2918
Number of pages6
StatePublished - 2011
Event12th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate 2011 - Austin, TX, United States
Duration: Jun 5 2011Jun 10 2011

Publication series

Name12th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate 2011
Volume4

Other

Other12th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate 2011
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityAustin, TX
Period6/5/116/10/11

Keywords

  • Crustal tracers
  • Indoor air pollutant sources
  • Metal contaminants

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pollution

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