Evaluating heavy metals contamination in campus dust in Wuhan, the university cluster in Central China: distribution and potential human health risk analysis

The potential health risk of heavy metals (HMs) in campus dust may threaten the health of thousands of students, teachers, and their families in Wuhan, the university cluster in Central China every day. In this research, the pollution characteristics and health risk with HMs was the first time presented in campus dust from the canteen, playground, dormitory, and school gate to date. The average HMs concentration in campus dusts ranked Pb (83.5 mg kg⁻¹) > Cu (70.2 mg kg⁻¹) > Zn (47.2 mg kg⁻¹) > Cr (46.0 mg kg⁻¹) > Ni (22.7 mg kg⁻¹) > As (15.2 mg kg⁻¹) > Cd (3.38 mg kg⁻¹). The HMs would more likely to accumulate in dormitory dust and canteen dust. In the downtown area, Zn, As, and Cd had been preliminarily identified from fossil fuel combustion and natural geochemical processes. Cu and Pb would source from cooking and traffic transportation. Ni and Cr would likely reflect the contributions of natural soil weathering. No significant non-carcinogenic health risks were found to students or teachers from campus dust. Their children would more likely to exposure health risks when eating in the canteen, playing on the playground, or walking around the school gate. While the incremental lifetime cancer risk values revealed respiratory intake of HMs does not pose a carcinogenic risk on the campus.