Exploration of lead, cadmium and copper in street dust of Baghdad city

Abstract EN

This research study examines streets dust pollution in Baghdad city by heavy metals Pb, Cd, and Cu.

In this study it has been taking 69 dust specimen 52 from Karkh and 17 from Rusafa regions including crowded general streets, bystreets, and from some street nearer to main electrical generators and from some housetops or terraces and gardens of some houses.

This study included 25 region in Karkh and Rusafa in Baghdad city.

The levels of heavy metals concentration were determined using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) after digestion of dust samples using aqua regia.

The study was conducted to include the effects of accumulation of heavy metalsderivatives on soil surface as a result of emissions of such heavy metal and to include the effects on the environments.

It was found that the highest concentration level of lead in dust of ab o-greib (AGBt) sample in Karkh site equal to 139.52 ppm and the maximum level of lead in dust of Karkh site equal to 27.78 ppm for street near electric generator in gent sample and comparing to level 29.32 ppm was found for lead in dust of housetop in Rusafa site in Ht sample.

The highest concentration level of copper in dust of Karkh site was found in St1 sample equal to 9.96 ppm comparing to level 23.82 ppm of copper in general street of Rusafa site in St sample, whereas the highest concentration level of cadmium in dust of Karkh site was found in gent sample equal to 0.29 ppm comparing to level 0.15 ppm of cadmium in St sample of Rusafa site.

Whereas the lowest level of lead in dust in Rusafa site was found in branch street of St1 sample equal to 15.1 ppm compared to lowest level of lead in dust in Karkh site equal to 11.71 ppm .