Traffic pollution: preliminary elemental characterisation of roadside dust in Lagos, Nigeria

Roadside dust collected from different parts of Lagos metropolis were analysed for heavy metals and other trace elements using a combination of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The results show a positive correlation of the concentration of Pb and some other vehicular emission-related elements with the traffic density. Automotive emission was also found to be the main contributor to Pb concentration in the roadside dust but some elements which hitherto have been linked with automotive emission, such as cadmium and nickel, did not show any strong correlation with traffic density. © 1994.