Concentrations of arsenic and other metals in agricultural soils of Bangladesh

摘要

To ascertain the magnitude of arsenic (As) and other metals contamination in soils of agricultural lands, a preliminary study has been carried out from an As affected area of Bangladesh. The agricultural irrigation system of Bangladesh is completely reliant on groundwater. Large amounts of As and other heavy metals are added to agricultural soils due to the irrigation. A total of 20 agricultural land soils were analyzed by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for As and other metals following microwave assisted digestion. National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) standard reference material (SRM) 2711 (Montana soil) was analyzed to validate the results of As and other metals. Results from these studies show slight elevation of As in surface soils relative to background concentrations with no effect of irrigation on other metals. Further studies with a larger sample size are needed for detailed assessment of the effect of ground water irrigation on heavy metal content of agricultural soils.