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Abstract
A detailed investigation was conducted to understand the contamination characteristics of a selected set of heavy metals (HMs) in 34 campus dust samples from Huaxi University Town. The HMs spatial distribution analysis based on ArcGIS software, the geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and health risk model were employed for evaluation, and multivariate statistical methods were used to identify possible sources. Results showed that the mean concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Ni, and Cd were 68.18, 123.81, 45.26, 140.36, 47.26, and 0.47 mg/kg, respectively. The spatial distribution characteristics displayed that the relatively large concentrations for the analyzed HMs were mainly located at both teaching areas and students’ dormitory areas. The average values of Igeo indicated that HMs contamination level followed the decreasing trend of Cd > Cu > Cr > Pb > Ni > Zn. The health risk assessment results indicated that HMs in campus dust generally do not pose any immediate health risk for both adult males and adult females but the cumulative effect is a matter of concern. The sources analyses demonstrated that Cu, Zn, Cr, and Cd, primarily from motor vehicle emission and waste incineration, Pb predominantly originated from construction source, while Ni had the mixed sources of nature and traffic.
Acknowledgments
We sincerely appreciate the reviewers and editors for their valuable and constructive comments.