Determination of the elemental composition of aerosol samples in the working environment of a secondary lead smelting company in Nigeria using EDXRF technique

Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence technique was employed to determine the concentrations of elements in aerosol samples collected in the working environment of a secondary lead smelting company in Nigeria. Sampling was done using Whatman-41 cellulose filters mounted in Negretti air samplers at 10 locations within the factory. The concentrations of eight elements (K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb) were determined. The TSP values ranged from 70 to 7963 mug/m(3) and the concentration of Pb was found to be between 2.98 and 538.47 mug/m(3). The high Pb concentration is a danger signal to the health of the factory workers. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.