Concentrations of Heavy Metals in Suburban Horticultural Soils and Their Uptake by Artemisia selengensis

A total of 222 surface soil samples and 40 plant samples were collected to investigate the spatial distribution and possible sources of soil heavy metals and to know the uptake and translocation of heavy metals from roots to different plant parts in a representative vegetable production area in the Baguazhou Island, a suburb of Nanjing City, East China. The arithmetic mean values of total Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations in the soils were 0.314, 133, 41.0, 58.0, 31.8, and 114 mg kg−1, respectively. All of these values were above the topsoil background values in the Nanjing area. Multivariate and geostatistical analyses showed that soil Cd contamination was derived mainly from agricultural practices. In contrast, Cu and Zn were derived mainly from soil parent materials and Pb from atmospheric deposition from highway gasoline stations. Artemisia selengensis, a locally important specialty vegetable, accumulated heavy metals primarily in the edible leaves. The general distribution of heavy metal concentrations in this plant species showed that the highest occurred in the leaves, intermediate in the stems and lowest in the roots. Cd had the highest concentration factor (root–to–soil ratio) and may pose increased health risks in the future to the local population through the consumption of contaminated vegetables.