Evaluation of Selected Heavy Metals in Indoor Dust and Interior Painted Walls of Nursery Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya
Kevin Omondi Ondoo *
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alupe University, P.O. Box 845 – 50400, Busia, Kenya.
Joel Klement Ogilo
Department of Chemistry, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O. Box 62000-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Anam Ouma Onditi
Department of Chemistry, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O. Box 62000-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Ali Mohammed Salim
Department of Chemistry, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O. Box 62000-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Denis Magero
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alupe University, P.O. Box 845 – 50400, Busia, Kenya.
Antony M. S. Pembere
Department of Physical Sciences, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 210, Bondo 40601, Kenya.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
School playgrounds found in painted environments have become death chambers for millions of innocent children who unknowingly ingest toxic metals. The objective of this study is to determine the levels of the heavy metals in paint chips from painted interior walls and indoor dust samples from 14 selected nursery schools in Nairobi County. The paint chips and indoor dust samples collected were digested using the Environmental Protection Agency method SW846 3050B then analyzed using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Iron (Fe) had the highest concentrations in both the paint chip from interior walls and the indoor dust while Cadmium (Cd) had the lowest concentration followed by Chromium (Cr), Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn) respectively. 50% of the nursery schools had Lead (Pb) concentrations that exceeded the 90 µg/g limit set by KEBS. For Cadmium (Cd) and Chromium (Cr), the concentration in the nursery schools and the indoor dust was below the 200 µg/g used in Germany. Generally, the correlation between the various metal pairs for the samples analyzed showed a non-significant correlation with exception of Lead - Iron (Pb-Fe) and Chromium - Cadmium (Cr-Cd) for the indoor dust samples from pre-schools. The t-tests carried out show that levels of the heavy metals in the paint chip did not differ significantly with the levels in the indoor dust for nursery schools at 95% confidence level.
Keywords: Paint, heavy metals, atomic absorption spectroscopy, pre-schools
How to Cite
Downloads
References
Aslam H, Jamil F, Al- Reasi HA, Sulaiman H, Al – Shidi HK. Human and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in different particle sizes of road dust in Muscat, Oman. Journal of Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2021;28:33980–33993.
Guy, Allan. The Science and Art of Paint Formulation. [book auth.] Alastair Marrion. The Chemistry and Physics of Coatings. 2nd. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry. 2004;317-346.
Gaitens JM, Dixon SL, Jacobs DE, Nagaraja J, Strauss W, Wilson JW, Ashley PJ. Exposure of U.S. children to residential dust lead, 1999-2004: I. Housing and demographic factors. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2009;117(3):461–467.
Dixon SL, Gaitens JM, Jacobs DE, Strauss W, Nagaraja J, Pivetz T, Ashley PJ. Exposure of U.S. children to residential dust lead, 1999-2004: II. The contribution of lead-contaminated dust to children’s blood lead levels. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2009;117(3):468–474.
Nganga C, Clark S, Weinberg J. Lead in Kenyan Household Paint, Nairobi, Kenya, University of Cincinnati, IPEN; 2012.
Sussell A, Ashley K. Field measurement of lead in workplace air and paint chip samples by ultrasonic extraction and portable anodic stripping voltammetry. Journal of Environmental Monitoring: Journal of Environmental Monitoring. 2002;4:156–161.
Al Bakain RZ, Jaradat QM, Momani KA. Indoor and Outdoor Heavy Metals Evaluation in Kindergartens in Amman, Jordan. Jordan Journal of Physics. 2012;5(1):43–52.
Latif MT, Yong SM, Saad A, Mohamad N, Baharudin NH, Mokhtar M Bin, Tahir NM. Composition of heavy metals in indoor dust and their possible exposure: A case study of preschool children in Malaysia. Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health. 2014;7:181–193.
Ondoo KO, Kiptoo JK, Onditi AO, Shivaji SM, Ogilo JK. Assessment of Anions and Heavy Metals in Sediments from River Sio, Busia County, Kenya. Chemical Science International Journal. 2019;27(2):1-18.
Ahenda SO, Alex Njugi Wangeci AN, Nyang’au JO. Physico-chemical and heavy metal assessment of paint industry effluents in Nairobi County, Kenya. Global Scientific Journal. 2020;8(3).
ISSN 2320-9186.
Daily nation. Cancer risks that surround you; 2016.
Available:https://nation.africa/kenya/newsplex/the-cancer-risks-that-surround-you-1186952
Ogilo JK, Onditi AO, Salim AM, Yusuf AO. Assessment of Levels of Heavy Metals in Paints from Interior Walls and Indoor Dust from Residential Houses in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Chemical Science International Journal. 2017;21(1):1-7.
USEPA. EPA Method 3050B: Acid Digestion of Sediments, Sludges, and Soils; 1996. Available:https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-06/documents/epa-3050b.pdf
Accessed on July 20, 2023.
CEJAD. New Study Shows Many Kenyan Paints Still Contain High Lead Levels; 2017. Available:http://cejadkenya.org/new-study-shows-many-kenyan-paints-still-contain-high-lead-levels/
Accessed on June 30, 2023.
Okewole AI, Omin BE. Assessment of Heavy Metal Contents of Some Paints Produced in Lagos, Nigeria. The Polytechnic Journal of Science and Technology. 2013;8:60–66.
Apanpa-Qasim AFI, Adeyi AA. Assessment of Heavy Metals and Metalloids in Water-Based Paints in Nigeria. Jordan Journal of Chemistry. 2017;12(2):51–69.
Turner A, Stokes A, Tooms S. Lead in painted surfaces and dusts from rented urban properties (Plymouth, UK). Journal of Environmental Pollution. 2023;316(2023):120503.
Provin TL, Pitt JL. Description of water analysis parameters; 2010. Available:http//:publications.tamu.edu/WATER/SCS-2002-10.pdf
Retrieved on 12/07/2023.
Thailand Environment Institute Bangkok. Developing Common Core Criteria for Paints; 2003. Available:http://www.greencouncil.org/doc/ResourcesCentre/CommonCore CriteriaforPaints.pdf
Accessed on July 1, 2023.
Darus FM, Nasir RA, Sumari SM, Ismail ZS, Omar NA. Heavy Metals Composition of Indoor Dust in Nursery Schools Building. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2012;38:169–175.
Tahir NM, Chee PS, Jaafar M. Determination of Heavy Metals Content in Soils and Indoor Dusts from Nurseries in Dungun, Terengganu. The Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences. 2007;11(1):280–286.
Blundel R, Sinagra E, Briffa J. Heavy metal pollution in the environment and their toxicological effects on humans. Heliyon Journal. 2020;6(2020):e04691.
Dayan A, Paine AJ. Mechanism of chromium toxicity, carcinogenic and allergen city: Review of the literature from 1985 to 200. Journal of Human and Experimental Toxicity. 2001;20(9):439-451
Popoola OE, Bamgbose O, Okonkwo OJ, Arowolo TA, Popoola AO, Awofolu OR. Heavy Metals Content in Classroom Dust of Some Public Primary Schools in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria. Research Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences. 2012;4(4):460–465.
Chen H, Lu X, Chang Y, Xue W. Heavy metal contamination in dust from kindergartens and elementary schools in Xi’an, China. Environmental Earth Sciences. 2014;71(6):2701–2709.
Johannes G, Franziska S, Christian G, Vera E, Paul B, Andrew R, David A. The toxicity of cadmium resulting hazard for human health. Journal of Occupational Medical Toxicology. 2006;1(2):97-102.
Tong STY, Lam KC. Are nursery schools and kindergartens safe for our kids? The Hong Kong study. Journal of Science of the Total Environment. 1998;216(3):217–225.
Esaar International; 2023. Available:https://images.app.goo.gl/BtnB92LTnFFZirYo8
Nazir R, Khan M, Masab M, Rehman H, Rauf N, Shahab S, et al. Accumulation of heavy metals in the soil, water and plants and analysis of physico-chemical parameters of soil and water collected from Tanda dam Kohat. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research. 2015;7(3):89-97.
Turner A, Sogo YSK. Concentrations and bioaccessibilities of metals in exterior urban paints. Journal of Chemosphere. 2011;86(2012):614–618.
Lu X, Zhang X, Li LY, Chen H. Assessment of metals pollution and health risk in dust from nursery schools in Xi’an, China. Environmental Research. 2014;128(Supplement C):27–34.
Potter JM. Mineral resource of the month: Iron oxide pigments; 2018. Available:https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/mineral-resource-month-iron-oxide-pigments-0/
Boseila SA, Gabr AA, aHakim IA. Blood Lead Levels in Egyptian Children: Influence of Social and Environmental Factors. American Journal of Public Health. 2004;94(1):47–49.
Lanphear BP, Weitzman M, Winter NL, Eberly S, Yakir B, Tanner M, et al. Lead-contaminated house dust and urban children’s blood lead levels. American Journal of Public Health. 1996;86(10): 1416–1422.