Toxic metals in the deposited particles from air of the training space of Amir Abad Campus, University of Birjand, 2012

Background: Composition of dust in the air due to contact with human via inhalation, ingestion and skin absorption will have a large impact on public health. In the learning environments such as universities, many people spend most of their day in contact with the dust. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concentration of heavy metals; lead, chromium and copper in the training space of the University of Birjand (Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources) and examining its ecological risks. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study evaluated a total of 16 samples where 4 samples pertained to the Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment and 12 samples were from the Faculty of Agriculture. For estimation of the heavy metals; copper, chromium and lead, hydrochloric acid and nitric acid digestion were used. The concentration of heavy metals was measured using an atomic absorption instrument. The regression coefficient was calculated by Ms Excle software. Results: The results showed that lead (3.414) and copper (14.884) degrees in the official room of the Faculty of Agriculture was more than the Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment while lead (2.575) and chromium (0.187) degrees were higher in the classrooms of the Faculty of Natural Resources. The regression correlation coefficient studies showed that the case study heavy metals had week correlation(R2; 0.13 and 0.20) . The pollution index of the element chromium depicted the lowest pollution level and copper had the high pollution levels in some samples. Conclusions: However, the samples exhibited little ecological risks. Thus, the presence of these elements in dust does not lead to serious health hazards. Nevertheless, further studies at different time periods are worthwhile.