Trace elements in residential indoor vacuum dust, collected via a citizen-led sampling approach and analysed by XRF (NERC Grant NE/T004401/1)

A dataset of trace metal concentrations (As, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) in indoor dust from homes from 11 countries, along with a suite of potentially contributory residential characteristics. A household vacuum dust sample, collected by the study participant using their regular vacuum cleaner, was submitted to the laboratory for analysis by X-Ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) on the <250um sieved fraction, along with the completion of an online questionnaire survey. Dust sample collection took place between 2018 – 2021. The Home Biome project is affiliated to the DustSafe community science programme (see mapmyenvironment.com). Sample location data are provided at town/city and Country level. Health risk from exposure to potentially contaminant-laden dust has been widely reported. Given the amount of time people spend indoors, residential environments are an important but understudied environment with respect to human exposure to contaminants. Indeed, the nature of the hazard that house dust presents remains poorly characterized. These data will be of interest to those interested in human exposure to potentially toxic elements and environmental health, as well as to the participants, who received a bespoke report on their sample data and information on key sources and ways to reduce exposure to trace elements in indoor dust.