Dust fallout can have diverse impacts ranging from major health problems
to environmental concerns. It can harbour disease-causing microorganisms and
toxic heavy metals, and it is therefore critical to establish the microbial and
the mineral compositions of the dust fallout in a particular site and elucidate
the possible related health implications for humans and the entire environment.
In this study, dust fallout samples were collected from Arandis, a town in the Erongo region (Namibia), using the American Society for Testing and Materials standard method
(ASTM D1739) for collection and analysis of dust fallout (settleable
particulate matter). The identification of present viable bacteria was done
through culturing and isolation techniques and the morphological
characteristics, and the elemental composition of the dust fallout were
determined using the Stereomicroscope and the X-ray fluorescence, respectively.
The results showed that the most dominant bacteria contained in the fallout
dust were the Bacillus species. The morphological characterisation
revealed that the present particles were mixed black, brownish, greenish, and
crystal particles with irregular, cubical, flocks and flake shapes. The
elemental investigations indicated that the dust fallout contained Hg, As, Fe,
Ni, Cr, Mn, Al and Pb occurring in varying concentrations and the status of
pollution of the dust fallout ranged from low to severe concerning the
inconsistent heavy metal indices that are the contamination factor, pollution
load index and the enrichment factor.
References
[1]
Addo, M. A., Darko, E. O., Gordon, C., Nyarko B. J. B., & Gbadago J. K. (2012). Heavy Metal Concentrations in Road Deposited Dust at Ketu-South District, Ghana. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 15, 841-855.
[2]
Ahmadfazeli, A., Naddafi, K., Yaghmaeian, K., Alimohammadi, M., & Ghanbari, A. (2018). Survey of the Effect of Dust Storms on the Water Quality of Seimare Dam. Journal of Air Pollution and Health, 3, 167-176.
[3]
Al Salameen, F., Habibi, N., Uddin, S., Al Mataqi, K., Kumar, V., Al Doaij, B., Al Amad, S., Al Ali, E., & Shirshikhar, F. (2020). Spatio-Temporal Variations in Bacterial and Fungal Community Associated with Dust Aerosol in Kuwait. PLOS ONE, 15, e0241283. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241283
[4]
Al-Awadhi, J. M., Al-Dousari, A. M., & Khalaf, F. I. (2014). Influence of Land Degradation on the Local Rate of Dust Fallout in Kuwait. Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, 4, 437-446. https://doi.org/10.4236/acs.2014.43042
[5]
Al-Barakah, F. N., Radwan, S. M. A., & Modaihsh, A. S. (2014). Seasonal and Spatial Variation of Microbial Contents in Falling Dust in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 3, 647-656.
[6]
Antoniadis, V., Shaheen, S. M., Boersch, J., Frohne, T., Du Laing, G., & Rinklebe, J. (2017). Bioavailability and Risk Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements in Garden Edible Vegetables and Soils around a Highly Contaminated Former Mining Area in Germany. Journal of Environmental Management, 186, 192-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.04.036
[7]
Babu, G., Mohan, M., Benardini, J. N., Hendrickson, R., Venkateswaran, K., & Stricker, M. C. (2017). Characterization of Biological Fallout Particles of Cleanrooms to Measure Spacecraft Cleanliness. In 47th International Conference on Environmental Systems (pp. 2017-2159). https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/ttu-ir/bitstream/handle/2346/72973/ICES_2017_159.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
[8]
Canha, N., Diapouli, E., & Almeida, S. M. (2021). Integrated Human Exposure to Air Pollution. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, Article 2233. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052233
[9]
Chen, Y., Li, X., Gao, W., Zhang, Y., Mo, A., Jiang, J., & He, D. (2023). Microfiber-Loaded Bacterial Community in Indoor Fallout and Air-Conditioner Filter Dust. Science of the Total Environment, 856, Article 159211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159211
[10]
Dudu, V. P., Mathuthu, M., & Manjoro, M. (2018). Assessment of Heavy Metals and Radionuclides in Dust Fallout in the West Rand Mining Area of South Africa. Clean Air Journal, 28, 42-52. https://doi.org/10.17159/2410-972x/2018/v28n2a17
[11]
Durant, A. J., Harrison, S. P., Watson, I. M., & Balkanski, Y. (2009). Sensitivity of Direct Radiative Forcing by Mineral Dust to Particle Characteristics. Progress in Physical Geography, 33, 80-102. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133309105034
[12]
El-Amier, Y. A., Elnaggar, A. A., & El-Alfy, M. A. (2017). Evaluation and Mapping Spatial Distribution of Bottom Sediment Heavy Metal Contamination in Burullus Lake, Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 4, 55-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbas.2016.09.005
[13]
Gonzalez-Martin, C., Teigell-Perez, N., Valladares, B., & Griffin, D. W. (2014). The Global Dispersion of Pathogenic Microorganisms by Dust Storms and Its Relevance to Agriculture. In Advances in Agronomy (Vol. 127, pp. 1-41). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-800131-8.00001-7
[14]
Henriques-Normark, B., & Normark, S. (2010). Commensal Pathogens, with a Focus on Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Interactions with the Human Host. Experimental Cell Research, 316, 1408-1414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yexcr.2010.03.003
[15]
Henriques-Normark, B., & Tuomanen, E. I. (2013). The Pneumococcus: Epidemiology, Microbiology, and Pathogenesis. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine, 3, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a010215
[16]
Jung, B., & Hoilat, G. J. (2022). MacConkey Medium. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557394/
[17]
Kgabi, N. (2010). An Assessment of Common Atmospheric Particulate Matter Sampling and Toxic Metal Analysis Methods. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 4, 718-728.
[18]
Kgabi, N., Shitaatala, E., & Izaaks, C. (2012). Morphological Analysis of Fallout Dust in Windhoek, Namibia. Journal of Chemical, Biological and Physical Sciences, 2, 2201-2209.
[19]
Lanzerstorfer, C. (2021). Toward More Intercomparable Road Dust Studies. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 51, 826-855. https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2020.1737472
[20]
Liebenberg-Enslin, H., Rauntenbach, H., Gruenewaldt, R. Von, & Burger, L. (2017). Understanding the Atmospheric Circulations That Lead to High Particulate Matter Concentrations on the West Coast of Namibia. Clean Air Journal, 27, 66-74. https://doi.org/10.17159/2410-972X/2017/v27n2a9
[21]
Liebenberg-Enslin, H., von Oertzen, D., & Mwananawa, N. (2020). Dust and Radon Levels on the West Coast of Namibia—What Did We Learn? Atmospheric Pollution Research, 11, 2100-2109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apr.2020.05.020
[22]
MacWilliams, M. P. (2009). Indole Test Protocol (pp. 1-9). American Society for Microbiology for Microbiology.
[23]
Malli Mohan, G. B., Stricker, M. C., & Venkateswaran, K. (2019). Microscopic Characterization of Biological and Inert Particles Associated with Spacecraft Assembly Cleanroom. Scientific Reports, 9, Article No. 14251. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-50782-0
[24]
Mugudamani, I., Oke, S. A., & Gumede, T. P. (2022). Influence of Urban Informal Settlements on Trace Element Accumulation in Road Dust and Their Possible Health Implications in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa. Toxics, 10, Article 253. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10050253
[25]
Nyashanu, P. N., Shafodino, F. S., & Mwapagha, L. M. (2023). Determining the Potential Human Health Risks Posed by Heavy Metals Present in Municipal Sewage Sludge from a Wastewater Treatment Plant. Scientific African, 20, e01735. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2023.e01735
[26]
Onjefu, S. A., Shaningwa, F., Lusilao, J., Abah, J., Hess, E., & Kwaambwa, H. M. (2020). Assessment of Heavy Metals Pollution in Sediment at the Omaruru River Basin in Erongo Region, Namibia. Environmental Pollutants and Bioavailability, 32, 187-193. https://doi.org/10.1080/26395940.2020.1842251
[27]
Onjefu, S., Hamatui, N., & Abah, J. (2016). Measurement of the Level of Some Heavy Metals in Fall-Out Dusts at Rehoboth Town, Hardap Region, Namibia. British Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 17, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.9734/BJAST/2016/28436
[28]
Pope, C. A., & Dockery, D. W. (2006). Health Effects of Fine Particulate Air Pollution: Lines That Connect. Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association, 56, 709-742. https://doi.org/10.1080/10473289.2006.10464485
[29]
Popoola, O. E., Bamgbose, O., Okonkwo, O. J., Arowolo, T. A., Popoola, A. O., & Awofolu, O. R. (2012). Heavy Metals Content in Classroom Dust of Some Public Primary Schools in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria. Research Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences, 4, 460-465.
[30]
Puławska, A., Manecki, M., & Flasza, M. (2021). Mineralogical and Chemical Tracing of Dust Variation in an Underground Historic Salt Mine. Minerals, 11, Article 686. https://doi.org/10.3390/min11070686
[31]
Ramirez, D., & Giron, M. (2022). Enterobacter Infections. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559296/
Salin, J., Ohtonen, P., Andersson, M. A., & Syrjälä, H. (2021). The Toxicity of Wiped Dust and Airborne Microbes in Individual Classrooms Increase the Risk of Teachers’ Work-Related Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Study. Pathogens, 10, Article 1360. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10111360
[34]
Sebaiwa, M. M. (2016). Characterisation of Dust Fallout around the City of Tshwane (CoT), Gauteng, South Africa. University of South Africa. https://uir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/20985
[35]
Singovszká, E., & Bálintová, M. (2014). Metal Pollution Assessment in Sediments of the Smolnik Creek, Slovakia. Pollack Periodica, 9, 117-125. https://doi.org/10.1556/Pollack.9.2014.S.12
[36]
Yamaguchi, N., Ichijo, T., Sakotani, A., Baba, T., & Nasu, M. (2012). Global Dispersion of Bacterial Cells on Asian Dust. Scientific Reports, 2, Article No. 525. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep00525
