Determining Heavy Metal Concentrations in Residential and Automobile Garage Dust in Hanoi, Vietnam
Abstract
This study describes a method for determining the heavy metal content in 20 indoor and garage dust samples in Hanoi using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The samples were processed using a microwave wet inorganic decomposition technique. The results showed that most of the surveyed metal elements were present in the dust samples. Fe and Zn were the two elements with the highest concentrations and were most commonly found in the most samples compared to other metals. Highly toxic metals such as Pb, Hg, As, Ni, etc., were detected in all samples studied. The metal content is arranged in decreasing order: Fe > Zn > Mn > Pb > Cu > Cr > As > Se > Hg > Sb > Cd > Ag > V. The Fe content is approximately 3339 µg/g – 132522 µg/g, followed by Zn in the range of 1371 µg/g – 11222 µg/g. The metals Cr, Pb, Cu, Ni, Co, and B are in the range of 0,220 µg/g – 305,5 µg/g. For highly toxic elements such as As, Sb, Hg, and Cd, the recorded content is lower, fluctuating between 0,070 µg/g – 30,020 µg/g. The research results provide important data on the levels of heavy metal pollution in urban environmental dust, contributing to the assessment of exposure risks and potential impacts on human health.