Source contribution of lead in house dust from a lead mining waste superfund site.
The relative contribution to household dust of lead particles from a mining waste superfund site and lead-based paint is investigated. Automated individual particle analysis (IPA) based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray energy spectroscopy (EDX) is used to develop a classification algorithm for determining lead particle source contribution in household dust vacuum bags. On a volume basis the proportion derived from the mining waste is found to be 26%, the proportion derived from a paint source is 16%, and the proportion from soil is 37%. In 15% of the lead particles identified a specific originating source could not be determined. Using a weighting method accounting for the lead concentration per particle rather than volume the contributions were similar for mining waste and paint, 21% and 23%, respectively, but the soil contribution was reduced to 8%, and the source for 29% of the lead could not be identified. These results suggested that the contribution of waste piles to the lead present in household dust is at least as important a source as paint. There is evidence to suggest that a large percentage of lead in the soil also originated from the waste piles and the overall contribution, therefore, of the waste piles may be greater than the contribution from paint.
Department of Community Health, Saint Louis University School of Public Health, MO 63108, USA. sterlind@wpogate.slu.edu
D A
DA
Sterling
D L
DL
Johnson
A M
AM
Murgueytio
R G
RG
Evans
D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis; D004391:Dust; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D008906:Mining; D010150:Paint; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis
D004391:Dust; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D007854:Lead