Monitoring of exposure to metallic elements

The problem of air pollution is insufficiently documented in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in general and in the city of Kinshasa in particular compared to countries in the northern hemisphere. This is worrying when one observes that Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, is not spared from these atmospheric risks of all kinds. Anthropogenic activities (intense traffic at the various roundabouts, industries, incineration of household waste) would be at the basis of the high presence of trace metallic elements in the ambient air of the city of Kinshasa. This book has provided a first database for the assessment of exposure to trace metals in the ambient air of the city of Kinshasa. These data will be useful for trend studies and/or comparison with other cities. The main finding is that there is relatively high exposure to the following elements: Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn. This clearly demonstrates the existence of a public health problem.