Abstract: Heavy metal contamination in soils and vegetables in five environmental units, i.e. mining and smelting area, arterial traffic，factory，sewage irrigation plot and farm produce base, in 5 counties and 4 suburbs of Nanjing City were investigated. The results shown that the scope of total soil Pb, Cu, Zn and Cd concentrations of 100 soil samples was 26.1~4 138.8, 16.5~3 375.1, 46.0~3 587.6 and 0.09~17.61 mg/kg, respectively. There were significant differences among different environmental units. Soils sampled from mining and smelting areas were the most seriously contaminated with heavy metals, followed by soils from sewage irrigation plots and highway. Soils from farm produce bases were slightly polluted by Cd. Among 5 environmental units, soils from peripheral farmlands of factories had the least contamination by heavy metals. The scope of Pb, Cu, Zn and Cd concentrations in the shoot of 19 Chinese cabbage（Brassica chinensis L.）samples was 0.11~7.11, 5.04~76.42, 36.8~364.3 and 0.04~2.96 mg/kg, respectively. The samples from mining and smelting areas had the highest shoot heavy metal concentration, and also the highest in the soils of these areas. The heavy metal concentration in the shoot of cabbage had a significantly positive correlation with the total and bio-available concentrations of soil heavy metals. Non-rational mining and smelting activities have been the major cause of heavy metal contamination in soils and vegetables in Nanjing Area.

Key words: heavy metal contamination, soil, vegetable, Nanjing Area