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Lead contamination and its potential sources in vegetables and soils of Fujian, China

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Abstract

Lead (Pb) contents and partition in soils collected from eleven vegetable-growing lands in Fujian Province, China, were investigated using a modification of the BCR (Community Bureau of Reference) sequential extraction procedure coupled with the Pb isotope ratio technique. Pb contents in Chinese white cabbage (B. Chinensis L.) grown on the lands for this study were also measured. Results showed that Pb concentrations in fifty samples of topsoil ranged from 456 to 21.5 mg kg−1, with each mean concentration of six sampling lands exceeding the national standard (50 mg kg−1); while Pb concentrations in edible portions of thirty-two vegetable samples ranged from 0.009 to 2.20 mg kg−1, with four sampling sites exceeding the national sanitary standard (0.2 mg kg−1). A significant correlation (r = 0.971, P < 0.01) of Pb contents in the acid-extractable fractions by BCR approach and the vegetables was observed, which indicates that the acid-extractable Pb is useful for evaluating the metal bioavailability for plants and potential risk for human health in soils. The determination of lead isotope ratios in different chemical forms of soils by BCR sequential extraction procedures provides useful information on the Pb isotopic composition associated with different soil fractions (especially in the acid-extractable fractions), and the result is helpful for the further study on controlling and reducing Pb contamination in vegetable-growing soils.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40771185), the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China (2009J01034), the Science and Technology Planning Project of Fujian Province, China (2007Y0028), the Foundation of the Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (KLUEH201006), and the Foundation for Innovative Research Team of Jimei University (2010A007) for financial support.

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  1. College of Bioengineering, Jimei University, Xiamen, 361021, People’s Republic of China

    Zhi-Yong Huang, Ting Chen, Jiang Yu, De-Ping Qin & Lan Chen

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  1. Zhi-Yong Huang
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  2. Ting Chen
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  3. Jiang Yu
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  4. De-Ping Qin
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  5. Lan Chen
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Correspondence to Zhi-Yong Huang.

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Huang, ZY., Chen, T., Yu, J. et al. Lead contamination and its potential sources in vegetables and soils of Fujian, China. Environ Geochem Health 34, 55–65 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-011-9390-6

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