Heavy Metals Composition of Indoor Dust in Nursery Schools Building

Abstract

Indoor floor dust is a pathway to childhood exposure to indoor air pollutant. A study aimed at establishing the relationship between heavy metal contamination in indoor dust in nursery schools in Shah Alam and their surrounding environment was conducted. Following digestion, indoor dust samples collected by brush-and-pan method was extracted for heavy metal analysis by inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). The heavy metal concentration was found to follow the order Fe > Al > Zn > Pb > Ba > Cu > Cr > Ni. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that indoor contaminant sources were of mixed origin.