TY - JOUR
T1 - Fractionation and biotoxicity of heavy metals in urban dusts collected from Hong Kong and London
AU - Wang, W. H.
AU - Wong, M. H.
AU - Leharne, S.
AU - Fisher, B.
N1 - The research project was financed by a Faculty Research Grant of Hong Kong Baptist University awarded to M. H. Wong. The senior author, W.H. Wang would like to thank the Hong Kong British Council for the award of a travel grant.
PY - 1998
Y1 - 1998
N2 - Samples of urban dusts, road site dusts and car park dusts, were collected at two selected sites each in Hong Kong and London. Sequential extraction was used to characterise the chemical compositions of these urban dusts. Copper, lead, zinc, pH, electrical conductivity and organic content were measured. Biotoxicity tests of urban dusts were conducted on higher plants (Brassica chinensis and Lolium perenne), a dinoflagellate green alga (Dunaliella tertiolecta) and luminescent bacteria (Photobacterium phosphoreum). A significant correlation was found between total lead (r = -0.70, p < 0.01) and zinc (r = -0.74, p < 0.05), and the 20min - EC50 using P. phosphoreum. In addition, there was a significant correlation (r = -0.72, p < 0.01) between the exchangeable lead content in dust and the 48 h-EC30 using D. tertiolecta. No specific trend was obtained for higher plants. Total lead and zinc contents were higher in dusts from London while the percentage of exchangeable fraction of metal contents was higher in those from Hong Kong.
AB - Samples of urban dusts, road site dusts and car park dusts, were collected at two selected sites each in Hong Kong and London. Sequential extraction was used to characterise the chemical compositions of these urban dusts. Copper, lead, zinc, pH, electrical conductivity and organic content were measured. Biotoxicity tests of urban dusts were conducted on higher plants (Brassica chinensis and Lolium perenne), a dinoflagellate green alga (Dunaliella tertiolecta) and luminescent bacteria (Photobacterium phosphoreum). A significant correlation was found between total lead (r = -0.70, p < 0.01) and zinc (r = -0.74, p < 0.05), and the 20min - EC50 using P. phosphoreum. In addition, there was a significant correlation (r = -0.72, p < 0.01) between the exchangeable lead content in dust and the 48 h-EC30 using D. tertiolecta. No specific trend was obtained for higher plants. Total lead and zinc contents were higher in dusts from London while the percentage of exchangeable fraction of metal contents was higher in those from Hong Kong.
KW - Bioassay tests
KW - Chemical characterisation
KW - Cu
KW - Pb
KW - Sequential extraction
KW - Street dust
KW - Zn
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0032462714&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1023/A:1006530300522
DO - 10.1023/A:1006530300522
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:0032462714
SN - 0269-4042
VL - 20
SP - 185
EP - 198
JO - Environmental Geochemistry and Health
JF - Environmental Geochemistry and Health
IS - 4
ER -