Factors determining dry deposition of total mercury and organic carbon in house dust of residents of the Tri-city and the surrounding area (Baltic Sea coast)

The purpose of this study was to find out what factors determine the deposition levels of mercury and organic carbon in household dust in the Tri-city region (southern Baltic Sea coast). Analyses were performed on samples collected over the period of 2 years, from 2013 to 2015, always in the heating season. The deposition of organic carbon was between 4and 210 mg m-2 month-1, while mercury deposition ranged from 4 to 1336 ng m-2 month-1. Deposition of mercury in household dust during the heating season was three times lower and deposition of organic carbon one and a half times lower than outdoor deposition obtained in the Baltic Sea region by other researchers. In the non-heating period, deposition of mercury in household dust was similar to outdoor deposition while deposition of OC was one and a half times higher. Both of the analyzed dust components reached higher deposition in rural areas than in cities, and both mercury and organic carbon were found to have higher deposition in single-family houses than in buildings housing several families. The increased level of OC was conditioned by the vicinity of the building to a road or street with a high level of traffic, and dust collected on the ground floor had higher Hg depositions. The presence of plants and pets, as well as smoking more than ten cigarettes per day, resulted in higher depositions of both the compounds present in household dust within the Tri-city region.