Soil Contamination Assessment by Trace Elements in Barapukuria Coal Mine Region, Bangladesh

Abstract

Received: 26 November 2020 Accepted: 10 February 2021 Coal mining areas in Bangladesh are exposing to extreme environmental problems due to the mobilization of heavy metals in the surrounding region. To assess the persisting risk, several soil samples were collected from the nearby coal mine areas. The amount of pollution of heavy metal has been calculated to determine the extent of the contamination. Soil contamination assessment was carried out using pollution evaluation indices such as heavy metal pollution index (HPI), the degree of contamination (Cd), and the contamination factor (CF). The concentration of S, As, Ba and, F exceeded the maximum concentration level in some soil samples. The HPI and the Cd yield similar results. The CF shows strong similarities with the Cd and gives a better evaluation of pollution levels. HPI indicates that about 71.42% of samples exceed the high level. Cd and CF show that about 71.42% sample is highly contaminated by trace element and 14.28% sample is highly contaminated by S, Cl, and F. Based on radioactive element analysis about 14.28% samples show medium contamination level. The findings of this research help us to assess the level of soil contamination and the extent of environmental and health concerns in the region of the Barapukuria coal mine.