Characterisation and Risk Assessment of Metal Contaminants in the Dust Fall in the Vicinity of a Construction Waste Dump in Beijing

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 19; no. 20; p. 13019
• Main Authors: Wang, Lili, Wu, Gaofeng, Zhang, Tianyue, Lei, Wenkai, Wang, Xinyu, Wang, Mi, Zheng, Dongyang, Zhao, Wenji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 11-10-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Air pollution; Beijing; Cadmium; Cadmium - analysis; Calcium; China; Chromium; Construction; Construction industry wastes; Construction materials; Contaminants; Dust; Dust - analysis; Ecological effects; Ecological risk assessment; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Environmental Pollutants - analysis; Environmental risk; Heavy metals; Industrial pollution; Landfills; Leachates; Lead - analysis; Magnesium; Manganese; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Pollutants; Risk analysis; Risk Assessment; Risk factors; Risk levels; Waste Disposal Facilities; Zinc; Beijing; China; Beijing China; Europe; construction waste; potential ecological risk index; geo-accumulation index; heavy metals; dust fall
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013019

In this study, a large construction waste dump in Beijing, China, was used as the study area. Nineteen effective atmospheric dust samples were collected. The mass fractions of 14 metal elements (Ca, Fe, Al, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cr, Cu, V, Pb, Ni, As, Co, and Cd) were determined for the samples using ICP-MS. The pollutants and the potential ecological risk levels of 10 different heavy metals were evaluated using the enrichment factor, geo-accumulation index, and a potential ecological risk assessment method. The results showed that the Ca, Fe, Al, and Mg contents in the dust fall were considerably high and accounted for 98.81% of the total mass of the analysed metals. Cd and Zn were the main metal contaminants in the dust fall in the vicinity of the construction waste dump, followed by Cu and Mn. The Cd, Zn, Cu, and Mn contents in the construction waste had a significant impact on atmospheric pollution within 250 m of the dump. Moreover, Cd had the largest contribution to the comprehensive ecological risk posed by the heavy metals in the dust fall and was determined to be the primary ecological risk factor in the atmospheric environment in the vicinity of the construction waste dump.