Heavy Metals’ Concentration in Textile and Garments Industries’ Wastewater of Bhaluka Industrial Area, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

An investigation was made to ascertain heavy metals’ concentration in effluent samples collected from different textile and garments industries located in Bhaluka industrial area, Mymensingh, Bangladesh during August to November, 2013. Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) was used to evaluate concentration of Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Nickel (Ni), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr) and Lead (Pb) in the samples. The study revealed that heavy metals were present in variable amounts, where concentrations of Cu (0.0405 ppm) and Pb (0.0003 ppm) were found lower than recommended level for industrial wastewater. Among the present trace metals, the highest concentration (0.2-1.0 ppm) was found in Zn. Although the concentration was suitable for irrigation, it was unsafe for aquaculture. Besides, all of the wastewater samples possessed no Cr, Cd and Ni, which indicated no possibility of contamination by these metals. However, comparing findings of this study with the safe limits for industrial wastewater, it was concluded that the wastewater of the whole study area except that of some sampling sites could be used for irrigation and aquaculture.