Unsal Murat Huseyin, Ignatavičius Gytautas, Valiulis Arunas, Prokopciuk Nina, Valskienė Roberta, Valskys Vaidotas
Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio Ave. 7, 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania.
Clinic of Children's Diseases, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty, Vilnius University, Antakalnio St. 57, 10207 Vilnius, Lithuania.
Toxics. 2024 Mar 19;12(3):224. doi: 10.3390/toxics12030224.
The main objective of this study is to thoroughly evaluate the diversity and sources of heavy metals in the school environment. Specifically, this study examines the presence of heavy metals in the dust found and collected from 24 schools in Vilnius. Employing hierarchical cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and positive matrix factorization, we identified combustion-related activities as primary contributors to elevated metal concentrations, notably zinc, scandium, and copper, with PM2.5/PM10 ratios indicating a combustion source. They reveal significant differences in the levels of elements such as arsenic (4.55-69.96 mg/kg), copper (51.28-395.37 mg/kg), zinc, and lead, which are affected by both local environmental factors and human activities. Elevated pollution levels were found in certain school environments, indicating environmental degradation. Pollution assessment and specific element pairings' strong positive correlations suggested shared origins or deposition processes. While this study primarily assesses non-carcinogenic risks to children based on a health risk assessment model, it acknowledges the well-documented carcinogenic potential of substances such as lead and arsenic. The research emphasizes the immediate necessity for efficient pollution management in educational environments, as indicated by the elevated hazard index for substances such as lead and arsenic, which present non-carcinogenic risks to children. This research offers important insights into the composition and origins of dust pollution in schools. It also promotes the need for broader geographic sampling and prolonged data collection to improve our understanding of pollution sources, alongside advocating for actionable strategies such as environmental management and policy reforms to effectively reduce exposure risks in educational settings. Furthermore, it aims to develop specific strategies to safeguard the health of students in Vilnius and similar urban areas.
本研究的主要目的是全面评估学校环境中重金属的多样性和来源。具体而言，本研究调查了从维尔纽斯24所学校发现并收集的灰尘中重金属的存在情况。通过层次聚类分析、主成分分析和正定矩阵因子分解，我们确定与燃烧相关的活动是金属浓度升高的主要原因，特别是锌、钪和铜，PM2.5/PM10比值表明存在燃烧源。研究揭示了砷（4.55 - 69.96毫克/千克）、铜（51.28 - 395.37毫克/千克）、锌和铅等元素含量存在显著差异，这些元素受当地环境因素和人类活动的影响。在某些学校环境中发现污染水平升高，表明环境恶化。污染评估以及特定元素对之间的强正相关表明存在共同来源或沉积过程。虽然本研究主要基于健康风险评估模型评估对儿童的非致癌风险，但它承认铅和砷等物质具有已被充分证明的致癌潜力。该研究强调，鉴于铅和砷等物质对儿童存在非致癌风险，其危害指数升高，教育环境中立即需要进行有效的污染管理。这项研究为学校灰尘污染的成分和来源提供了重要见解。它还促使需要进行更广泛的地理采样和更长时间的数据收集，以增进我们对污染源的了解，同时倡导采取诸如环境管理和政策改革等可采取行动的策略，以有效降低教育环境中的接触风险。此外，它旨在制定具体策略，以保障维尔纽斯及类似城市地区学生的健康。
