Heavy metal contents in soils affected by industrial activities in a southern district of Bangladesh

Abstract

A research was done to focus on the level of heavy metal pollution by three point sources in Barisal, a southern district of Bangladesh. Soils were collected from four distinct distances (100 m, 200 m, 400 m and 600 m from the point of discharge) of three different industrial sites, namely textile, cement and medicine industry. Maximum build-up of heavy metals was found in the vicinity of textile industry, while the minimum was observed in soils of medicine industry. Cu, Cr, Cd, Mn and Ni were found in the highest concentrations in textile industry, while As, Pb and Zn were found in the highest content near the cement industry. Negative correlation values indicate that pollution levels decrease with the increasing distance from the pollution sites.

Bangladesh J. Sci. Res. 29(1): 11-17, June-2016