Heavy metal pollution by urban dust in the Tampico conurbation, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

Urban dust acts as an effective environmental indicator of anthropogenic activities such as heavy metal pollution, reflecting the influence of industrial activities, traffic emissions, and port operations between others. Systematic sampling at different times and across urban locations with different land use categories is expected to capture the spatial and seasonal variability of heavy metal concentrations. This dataset consists of 96 urban dust samples collected at fixed locations at the Tampico conurbation (northeastern Mexico) during the dry and rainy seasons. Sampling sites were classified according to location type (e.g., school, bus stop, parking lot, residential, and industrial areas) to allow comparison among urban activities. Dust samples were collected using standardized surface collection procedures and analyzed for elemental composition by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, enabling non-destructive multi-element detection. The data show the presence of Br, Cl, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Rb, S, Sr, Ti, V, Y, Zn, and Zr, with concentrations reported in mg/kg. Interpretation of the data should consider seasonal effects, meteorological data, land-use classification, and proximity to emission sources such as industrial parks, ports, and high-traffic roads. The dataset can be used for urban contamination assessment, health risk evaluation, spatial analysis, and comparative studies in industrialized coastal cities. In the associated publication, statistical and spatial analyses including two baseline levels for future studies and regulatory comparisons was performed and discussed. To access the processed data, please contact Dr. Felipe Caballero at fcaballero@ipn.mx or MIA Mireya Ovando Rocha movando@utaltamira.edu.mx