Heavy metal pollution by urban dust in the Tampico conurbation, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
Description
Urban dust acts as an effective environmental indicator of anthropogenic activities such as heavy metal pollution, reflecting the influence of industrial activities, traffic emissions, and port operations between others. Systematic sampling at different times and across urban locations with different land use categories is expected to capture the spatial and seasonal variability of heavy metal concentrations. This dataset consists of 96 urban dust samples collected at fixed locations at the Tampico conurbation (northeastern Mexico) during the dry and rainy seasons. Sampling sites were classified according to location type (e.g., school, bus stop, parking lot, residential, and industrial areas) to allow comparison among urban activities. Dust samples were collected using standardized surface collection procedures and analyzed for elemental composition by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, enabling non-destructive multi-element detection. The data show the presence of Br, Cl, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Rb, S, Sr, Ti, V, Y, Zn, and Zr, with concentrations reported in mg/kg. Interpretation of the data should consider seasonal effects, meteorological data, land-use classification, and proximity to emission sources such as industrial parks, ports, and high-traffic roads. The dataset can be used for urban contamination assessment, health risk evaluation, spatial analysis, and comparative studies in industrialized coastal cities. In the associated publication, statistical and spatial analyses including two baseline levels for future studies and regulatory comparisons was performed and discussed. To access the processed data, please contact Dr. Felipe Caballero at fcaballero@ipn.mx or MIA Mireya Ovando Rocha movando@utaltamira.edu.mx
Files
Steps to reproduce
1. Sample collection [1] At each sampling site, delimit a 1 m² area on the sidewalk with tape. Remove coarse materials such as rocks, leaves and branches. Use a clean 2” brush and a plastic dustpan to collect some 30 g of dust. Stored the dust in labeled polyethylene bags with georeferenced codes. 2. Sample processing Sieve urban dust through a 200-mesh (75 μm). Dry the dust at 105 °C for 24 hours in a laboratory oven to remove moisture and store in a dessicator. 3. Sample measuring by XRF In the present work, a Mesa 50 X-ray fluorescence spectrometer equipped with a Rh/Pd tube (Al–U detection range), from Horiba, Japan was used. A bed 3 cm high of sieved dust was put into an appropriate powder cell with X-ray transparent window, inside the X-ray fluorescence instrument. In the present dataset, samples were analyzed for an average of 100 s at 15 kV and 50 kV and they need to be tested three times. Element identification and quantification were performed using MESA-50 software, assuming a SiO₂–CaCO₃ (1:1) matrix representative of local mineralogy as previously determined by X-ray diffraction. Data quality was assessed using the three-sigma criterion implemented in the software; values below the corresponding three-sigma uncertainty were discarded. This procedure was applied to all elements and samples. [1] F. Bautista and A. G. Coordinadores, “Los metales pesados en ambientes urbanos: herramientas para el diagnóstico y estudios de caso en ciudades mexicanas,” 2024
Institutions
- Centro de Investigacion en Ciencia Aplicada y Tecnologia Avanzada del IPNMexico D. F.
- Instituto Politecnico NacionalDistrito Federal, Ciudad de Mexico
- Tecnologico Nacional de MexicoMexico DF, Mexico City
- Instituto Tecnologico de Ciudad MaderoTamaulipas, Ciudad Madero
- Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía AmbientalMichoacán, Morelia
- Universidad VeracruzanaVeracruz, Xalapa
Categories
Funders
- Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e InnovaciónMexicoGrant ID: CONAHCYT Infraestructura 2022-321595