Primarily Elemental Composition of Dust in Riyadh City

Abstract

Abstract. The aerosol particles in the ambient air are considered as the main causes of asthma and allergic diseases. The elemental composition of indoor and outdoor dust in Riyadh will be a good indicator for air quality and some health effects in this city. The analysis of the dust samples was performed using x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique. The results show a similar composition of the indoor and outdoor dust which most of it has mineral origin. It was observed that the concentration of Iron, Fe, increases in all indoor samples in detriment of a decrease in the concentration of calcium, Ca, compared to outdoor samples. For the heavy elements, only small traces of lead were detected.