Lead, Cadmium and other metals in Residential Paint Chips from Indoor wall surfaces

Abstract

Abstract Paints beautify and shield houses, but may have risky metals like lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury that endanger occupants, mainly children and pregnant women. To assess the levels and health risks of 14 metals in paint chips from indoor walls of residential houses in four states in South-western Nigeria. Paint chips were collected from 144 houses with childrens’ occupants and analyzed for metals using inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometer. The Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) levels (mg/kg) ranged from 1239.9-2254.2 and 1126.5- 3080.3 in all the states examined, respectively. Arsenic (As) ranged from 1236.3- 915.2 ± 4.800 and 972.5–1492.0 in Lagos and Ibadan, respectively. In Ado-Ekiti and Akure, the levels of As ranged 828.3- 920.4 and 822.1-842.3 mg/kg, respectively. The chronic daily intake, hazard quotient, hazard index, and lifetime cancer risk of metals were estimated for ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure routes. The concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, and lead in paint chips exceeded the permissible limits for paints. The highest metal exposure and health risk were through ingestion, followed by inhalation and dermal contact. Children had higher exposure and risk than adults. Arsenic had the highest hazard index and lifetime cancer risk among the metals, followed by lead, chromium, and cadmium. The study revealed that paint chips from indoor walls pose a significant source of metal contamination and health risk, especially for children. There is a need for stricter regulation and monitoring of metal content in paints and paint chips in Nigeria.