Analysis of Heavy Metal Sources for Vegetable Soils from Shandong Province, China

Heavy metal pollution in agricultural soils has serious negative influence on human health. Concentrations of Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, and Ni in top soils (0-20 cm) of greenhouses and farmlands from four main vegetable production areas Shouguang, Laiyang, Jinxiang, and Zhangqiu in Shandong Province, one of the most rapidly developing regions in China, were measured in this study. Shouguang is mainly occupied by greenhouse vegetables and the other three areas are mainly open field culture. Total of 149 soil samples were collected. The average concentrations of the eight heavy metals of the tested 149 soil samples were all below the threshold values according to "Farmland environmental quality evaluation standards for edible agricultural products (HJ332-2006)"of China. However, most of the studied heavy metals were present at higher concentrations than those of the natural background levels in local agricultural soils. Among the total 149 soil samples, 22 samples were contaminated by Cd, Ni, Cu, or Hg. Comparisons showed that the main pollution element in greenhouse vegetable soils was Cd, while that of open field vegetable soils was Cu. The results of principal components analysis (PCA) suggested that concentrations of Cr, As, and Ni were mainly controlled by parent rocks; Hg and Pb were affected by anthropogenic activities such as vehicle and industrial fumes and waste water irrigation. Meanwhile, concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Zn were affected mainly by the use of agrochemicals. Most of the heavy metals were positively correlated with each other in concentration. Appropriate measures should be taken to effectively control heavy metal levels in vegetable soils and thus protect human health.