Insights and issues of trace elements found in street and road dusts

Street and road dusts can accumulate in road gutters and gullypots (or catchpits), as well as adhering to road and pavement surfaces. This chapter considers the sources, pathways, deposits, and hazards associated with street and road dusts, and evaluates various management strategies to reduce their impacts in urban settings. Sources of particulates can be classified into point sources and diffuse sources. As with street dust, there have been concerns with the potential of inhalation, ingestion, and dermal exposure to house dust. Urban soils can be both a source and a sink of polluted particulates. Urban soil is also disturbed regularly by processes including landscaping, construction, irrigation, and partial or complete replacement. Knowledge of the pathways and processes leading to the accumulation of such pollutants in the urban environment is vital if they are to be managed, benefiting both environmental and human health.