We collected air dust samples at 15 selected sampling locations in Budapest and its surroundings in August 2010. We used sterile plastic bags fitted with velcro to collect these samples from the window-sills of buildings and the surfaces of railings and billboards. We repeated the sampling at each sampling location; therefore, we took 2–2 samples weighing 300–350 g consisting of 15 sampling points in order to be able to estimate their standard error, standard deviation and conformity. Aqua regia extraction was used to determine the „total” element contents from the fraction under 0.2 mm with using ICP technique.

No notable accumulation was shown in the main soil constituent elements, such as iron (Fe), aluminium (Al), potassium (K), phosphorus (P) and manganese (Mn). The Fe content is obviously high in the dust of the Margit Bridge in Budapest, due to the recent renovation activities. Magnesium (Mg) is partially the accompanying element of Ca; therefore, its accumulation follows that of Ca. The amount of sulphur (S) could be increased by one magnitude in the air dust in comparison with the unpolluted soil. The sulphur content of the fossiles used for energy measurement (such as coal, oil, etc.) are high. The sulphur load imposed by traffic and settlements (heating) adds up and it could cause acid rain. Sodium (Na) accumulation could mainly result from road salting. It is not a coincidence that the amount of Na is negligible in the Margitsziget, which is practically sealed off from traffic, showing similar results as that of the unpolluted Mezőföld soil. No pollution limit values of Ca, Fe, Mg, Al, K, S, Na, P and Mn are determined due to their environmental risks.

The Pb concentration in the accumulating dust of the Margit Bridge under renovation is extremely high, almost 0.3%. This value is exactly 158 times higher than that of the unpolluted soil. The barium content is 5.5 times higher than the respective limit value of the polluted soil. As regards brass (Cu), the measured value is 3 times higher than its threshold concentration of the polluted soil, whereas this value is 11 times higher in the case of barium (Ba). Of the microelements nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), boron (B), cobalt (Co), arsenic (As), molybdenum (Mo) and cadmium (Cd), increased attention is paid to arsenic and cadmium, due to their dangerous character. From this aspect, it is comforting that nickel exceeds the limit concentration determined for the polluted soil in two cases by not more than 50% and tin also exceeds this value in two cases by 20–30%. Boron is not a significant pollutant. The values of cobalt and arsenic are below the threshold value of 30 mg kg-1. Although molybdenum exceeded the 7 mg kg-1 threshold concentration in four cases, no accumulation is shown altogether and on average either.

Keywords: air dust, element composition, Budapest and surrounding