title: Dust-Metal Sources in an Urbanized Arid Zone: Implications for Health-Risk Assessments.
abstract: The available information concerning metal pollution in different dust sources and the health effects in children remains limited in Mexico. This study focuses on Hermosillo, which is an urbanized area located in the Sonoran Desert in which soil resuspension and dust emission processes are common. The metal content of arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), and lead (Pb) were determined in three dust sources (playgrounds, roofs, and roads), each representing different exposure media (EM) for these elements. The metal levels in dust were found in the order of Mn > Cr > Pb > As with the highest metal content found in road dust. Despite the similar average metal distributions, principal component analysis shows a clear separation of the three EM with playground dust related to Cr and Mn and road dust to As and Pb. However, the geoaccumulation index results indicate that dust samples are uncontaminated to moderately polluted, except for Pb in road dust, which is considerably high. In addition, the enrichment factor suggests an anthropogenic origin for all of the studied metals except for Mn. In this context, the hazard index (HI) for noncarcinogenic risk is >1 in this population and thus represents a potential health risk. The spatial distribution for each metal on EM and the HI related to the marginality index could represent a more accurate decision-making tool in risk assessment studies.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C., km 0.6 carretera a la Victoria, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.|Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Especialidad en Biotecnología, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, 5 de Febrero 818 Sur, 85000, Cd. Obregón, Sonora, Mexico.
authors.forename: Leticia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: García-Rico
authors.affiliation: División de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Sonora, Rosales y Encinas, 83000, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Meza-Figueroa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin, 85721, Tucson, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: A Jay
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Gandolfi
authors.affiliation: Estación Regional del Noroeste, Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Colosio y Madrid s/n, 83240, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Del Río-Salas
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Delegación Coyoacán, 04510, México, D.F., Mexico.
authors.forename: Francisco M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Recursos Naturales, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, 5 de Febrero 818 Sur, 85000, Cd. Obregón, Sonora, Mexico. mmeza@itson.edu.mx.
authors.forename: Maria Mercedes
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1199-9310
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Meza-Montenegro
mesh_terms: D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D014507:Urbanization
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012989:Soil Pollutants