Environmental Analysis of Arsenic in Water, Soil and Food Materials from Highly Contaminated Area of Alampur Village, Amjhupi Union, Meherpur

Abstract

Bangladesh is a riverine country where arsenic bearing silt and sediments coming from Himalayas via different rivers (the Padma, Jamuna and Meghna) gets deposited in the groundwater aquifers at different locations of Bangladesh. Groundwater is the most dependent form of sources for drinking in this area, unfortunately arsenic is of extensive amount (more than 50 ppb) found in this groundwater. Fourteen water samples from different depth of tube well, 8 soil samples from topsoil (15 cm) and subsurface (30 cm) and 7 different types of food materials were collected from Alampur Village, Amjhupi Union at Megerpur district. Water samples are preserved by HNO‌3 for maintaining pH (2-3).Food and food materials were digested with HNO3- H2SO4 in order to determine the arsenic by Ag-DDTC, UV-visible method. The arsenic of tubewell water was beyond the Bangladesh acceptable limit and arsenic in food materials were with the limit of Australian food hygiene limit (1 mg /kg). Concentration of arsenic in topsoil (15 cm) was higher than arsenic in the subsurface (30 cm). The values of arsenic in food materials was lower, which indicated that arsenic from tubewell water is adsorbed in soil but not to propagate food materials. It might be due to the type of soil.