Determination of metal contents of various fibers used in textile industry by MP-AES

Abstract

The concentrations of metals (Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Tl, and Zn) in various textile fibers (cotton, acrylic, polyester, nylon, viscose, and polypropylene) of different colors (red, white, green, blue, yellow, orange, black, brown, purple, pink, navy, burgundy, beige, and grey) were determined by microwave plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES). Textile fibers were collected from the various textile plants in Gaziantep-Kahramanmaraş, Turkey. Heavy metals concentrations in all examined textile fibers after wet digestion were found to be high, whereas in the artificial sweat extract they were low. The only lead concentrations in textile fibers analyzed after extraction in the artificial sweat solution were found higher than limit values given by Oeko-Tex.