House dust - unwanted problem for the occupant of the facility, but a promising source of scientific information about the quality of indoor environment

House dust is a naturally occurring component of indoor environments made of various types of individuals on which contaminants present in the environment can settle over time. While dust sample collection can be done using available household appliances (brushing, sweeping surfaces, vacuum cleaners, air-conditioner filters and ventilation systems), further sample preparation and determination of chosen analytes can be problematic due to its complex characteristics. In this paper, research data published in last ten years was reviewed in case of house dust collection, pre-treatment and preparation for analysis. Following gathered information, the most abundant heavy metals in house dust were Fe, Al, Zn and Mn, however concentration of other metals like Pb, Cd or Cr cannot be ignored, because even if they present at low levels they still may affect human health. As for the representatives of semi-volatile organic compounds, the polychlorinated biphenyls and flame retardants were the most commonly determined in the domestic environment. Moreover, an intensive research trend shifted to determination of novel congeners of polybrominated diphenyl ethers was observed, which may indicate the future need for increased frequency of monitoring new congeners along with primary flame retardants. Additionally, health risk assessment calculation methods were highlighted, described as well as correlations between concentration of pollutants and humans’ habits (e.g. smoking and non-smoking residents) were observed. Dermal contact and ingestion were noted as two main pathways of exposure both in children and adult residents, while reported results indicated potential health risk for those groups.