Heavy Metal Pollution and Risk Assessment of Vegetables and Soil in Jinhua City of China

To understand the heavy metal (Cd, Cr and Pb) pollution situation and exposure risk of the vegetables and soil in Jinhua City, soil-vegetable samples collected from three districts of Jinhua City were analyzed in detail, and the risks of heavy metal concentration in vegetable and soil were evaluated using the single pollution index, Nemerow pollution index, Hakanson potential ecological index and a health risk assessment. The results indicate that: (1) The soil in Jinhua City is mainly polluted by Cd, and the BCF of heavy metals in vegetables was leafy vegetables > rootstalk vegetables > solanaceous vegetables. (2) Heavy metals had slight pollution in the surrounding environment, and the ecological risk of soil heavy metals in the sampling area was generally at a low risk level. (3) Children are more likely to suffer from non-carcinogenic risks; Cr is the main source of this risk (HQ(Cr) = 0.74). More than 90% of vegetables in the sampling had cancer risk, adults are more likely to suffer from carcinogenic risks, and Cd is the main source of potential cancer risk (TCR = 4.34 x 10(-4)). Therefore, in our study area, Cd is the main factor of soil pollution that can cause potential cancer risk through vegetable enrichment, and Cr is the main factor causing the non-carcinogenic risk of leafy vegetables.

Automated summary

To understand the heavy metal pollution and exposure risk of vegetables and soil in Jinhua City, detailed analysis and evaluation were conducted based on soil-vegetable samples collected from three districts. The results showed that Cd was the main pollutant in the soil, with heavy metal enrichment in leafy vegetables > rootstalk vegetables > solanaceous vegetables. The surrounding environment had slight pollution and the ecological risk of soil heavy metals was generally low in the sampling area. Children were more susceptible to non-carcinogenic risks, mainly from Cr, while adults faced potential cancer risks, mainly from Cd.