Characterization and Morphometric Identification of Household Fan Dust and its Human Health-Risk Implications.

Several studies highlight the environmental and human health impacts of outdoor air pollution. However, a significant gap exists in understanding indoor air pollution in urban households. The current work aims to characterize the fan dust samples collected from households in Chandigarh, India. The five composite samples were collected from different areas, including the dining room, drawing room, bedroom, kitchen, and worship room, of different households in the same location. Samples were characterized using various analytical techniques like X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The concentration of all the measured elements was found to be relatively lower when compared with other similar studies. Ca and Fe showed a high household fraction. XRD confirmed the high fraction of calcite and quartz particles in household dust samples. In SEM analysis, circular, irregular flakes and fibrous particles indicated coal combustion particles in the household dust. Additionally, sharp edge particles showed the enrichment of minerals in the dust samples. Health risk assessment results indicated that the hazard index values for children and adult populations were within limits for non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks from three exposure pathways, revealing insignificant health risks. Besides, the microbiological examination identifies Paebacillus barcinonensis and Bacillus megaterium in dining room dust, Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus circulans in dining and drawing room dust, Lysinibacillus boronitolerans in Bedroom dust, Paenibacillus species. and Bacillus species. in worship room dust, Bacillus circulance and Bacillus megaterium in the kitchen area. Human activities were strongly found to be associated with microbial and metal existence in the dust samples. Household dust, contaminated with biological and inorganic pollutants, has the potential to pose health risks to occupants. Hence, the study briefly discusses the approaches to minimize household dust and indoor air pollutants. Therefore, improving indoor air quality should be a vital component of public health protection policies for urban and rural households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]