Roadside dust contamination with toxic metals along industrial area in Islamabad, Pakistan

• Published in: 核技术（英文版） 2014-06, Vol.25 (3), p.8-13
• Main Author: Waheed Akram Morgan Madhuku Kashif Shahzad Ali Awais Ishfaq Ahmad Muhammad Arif Ishaq Ahmad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: X射线发射; 伊斯兰堡; 土壤元素; 多元统计分析; 工业区; 巴基斯坦; 有毒金属; 灰尘污染
• ISSN: 1001-8042; 2210-3147
• DOI: 10.13538/j.1001-8042/nst.25.030201

An investigation has been carried out to understand the contamination characteristics of roadside dust in the industrial area of Islamabad, Pakistan. The amounts of Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ga, As, Se and Cd were determined from 95 roadside dust samples collected along the Islamabad industrial area using Proton Induced X-ray Emission （PIXE）. The results indicated that concentrations of all elements, except Cd, in the roadside dust were significant. The results of the enrichment factor show that the elementary composition of the roadside dust could be categorized as soil elements from the crust of the earth and elements from anthropogenic pollution. The high enrichment factors imply that elements such Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Ni, Co and S came from anthropogenic activities. The source of metal contamination was identified using multivariate statistical analysis. It has been concluded that Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Mn and Fe mainly originate from crustal sources; Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and Ga are associated with point-sources from industrial pollution/traffic; and S, Cl, K, As and Se are mainly related to oil/coal combustion.