Distribution of mercury pollution and its source in the soils and vegetables in Guilin area, China

Soils and vegetables were sampled and analyzed from nine vegetable fields in Guilin area, China. The average mercury (Hg) concentrations varied from 0.099 to 0.546 mg/kg in soils and from 0.046 to 0.132 mg/kg in plants. The distribution of Hg pollution in plants was correlated with that in soils. Generally, the Hg concentration in the plants decreased with the increasing distance between sampling sites and the city center. The Hg existed mostly in leaves of the plants, and then in their roots and stems, which suggested that the Hg in the atmosphere might be an important source of Hg in plants.