A Study on Heavy Metal Contents in Vegetables and Soil at Seoul Area

서울시 일부지역에서 재배한 채소류 및 토양중 중금속 함량에 관한 연구

While environmental pollution being developed, there have been some cases that residents on certain parts of Seoul area have cultivated vegetables in a small scale, and consumed the produce of theirs thinking them not polluted. Therefore the need for study about whether those vegetables and soil were polluted was growing. In this study, Seoul area (Tobong-dong, Chang-dong, Wolgyedong, P'il-dong, Oksu-dong, and Karibong-dong) and Kyanggi area (Changhang, P'och'an, Kap'yang, Yangp'y~ng) where pollution was thought to be less severe than that of the former were selected for the sampling area. Cabbage, pumpkin and young pumpkin were sampled and dried to be analyzed the contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, and moisture content was also analyzed. And at the same time 0.1 N-HCl soluble heavy metal content of soil was measured, and the results obtained were descrived as follows. Heavy metal contents of soil in Seoul and Kyonggi were Cd 0.184 ppm, 0.118 ppm, Cr 2.355 ppm, 0.441 ppm, Cu 29.16 ppm, 3.331 ppm, Ni 1.650 ppm, 0.829 ppm, Pb 26.77 ppm, 4.696 ppm, Zn 57.47 ppm, 14.94 ppm respectively. Heavy metal contents of cabbage in Seoul and Kyonggi were Cd 0.407 ppm, 0.241 ppm, Cr 0.388 ppm, 0.402 ppm, Cu 6.853 ppm, 4.486 ppm, Ni 1.479 ppm, 0.878 ppm, Pb 0.812 ppm, 0.258ppm, Zn 112.2 ppm, 54.86ppm respectively. Heavy metal contents of pumpkin in Seoul and Ky6nggi were Cd 0.011 ppm, 0.011 ppm, Cr 0,262 ppm, 0.197 ppm, Cu 3.302 ppm, 2.539 ppm, Ni 0.717 ppm, 0.369 ppm, Pb 0.257 ppm, 0.083 ppm, Zn 28.75 ppm, 14.01 ppm respectively. Correlation between heavy metal contents of soil and those of vegetables was represented high as a whole. In all heavy metals cabbage had higher values of concentrations than those of pumpkin (p<0.001). Concentrations of young pumpkin were higher than those of big pumpkin. It was probably due to the fact that young pumpkin containing not only inner part of pumpkin but also seeds was used as a sample. When classified by region, relatively high concentrations were observed in the samples of Karibong-dong, and in the sample of Jungtang riverside Cd was higher, and in the sample of Namsan Pb was higher than any other district.