Contamination status of Pb and Cd and health risk assessment on vegetables in a mining area in southern Hunan

Vegetables, including leafy vegetables and fruit, are of importance to human health. In order to evaluate the heavy metal contamination status and associated health risks of vegetables, 57 vegetables (34 spring vegetables and 23 winter vegetables) and 34 corresponding soil samples (sampled with the spring vegetables) were collected from farmland surrounding a mining area in southern Hunan, China. Analysis was carried out to determine the correlation between the heavy metal content of vegetables and soils, to enable assessment of the potential health risk to local inhabitants consuming the vegetables grown in the contaminated soils. In relation to suitability of agricultural products in this mining area, fruits were more suitable for planting than leafy vegetables.