Evaluation of ecological risk and source of heavy metals in vegetable-growing soils in Fujian province, China

Heavy metal pollution in vegetable-growing soils is of increasing concern due to the potential health risk via food chain. The present study aimed at assessing the potential ecological risk (RI) of heavy metals (HMs) in the vegetable-growing soils collected from Fujian Province, China, and identifying the potential sources with multivariable methods including correlation matrix and principal component analysis (PCA). The concentrations of HMs including Pb, Cd, Hg, Cr, As, Cu, Zn, and Ni in 160 soils collected from 25 sites of vegetable-growing land in Fujian Province, China, are measured with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and hydrogen generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometer, respectively. Results show that most of the soil samples have been seriously contaminated with HMs, especially the metals of Hg, Cd, and Pb, compared with both of the background values of soils in Fujian Province and the limitation of total HMs in soil environmental quality for edible agricultural products set in China (HJ 332-2006). The indexes of RI indicate that only 8% of the 25 sites are environmentally safe, whereas according to the present study 28% of the sampling sites are heavily contaminated with HMs with 628–1,076 of the RI values. Based on PCA analysis, Zn, Cd, and Pb associated with PC1 are found to derive from anthropogenic sources, especially the local industrial activities, such as porcelain plants in Dehua, zinc metallurgical plants in Nan’an, and sewage irrigation from industrial estate in Taijiang. The concentrations of As, Ni, and Cu loaded in PC2 are found to be mainly controlled by natural factors (i.e., the lithogenic process of natural parent soils). Hg in PC3 is also found to originate from the anthropogenic sources, such as local coal combustion in Longhai and industrial activities in Cangshan. However, Cr in PC3 is mainly derived from the lithogenic sources.