An Investigation on Arsenic and Selenium in Paddy Soil-Rice System in the Vicinity of Metal Smelters in Zhejiang Province

In this study, the characteristic of As and Se contents in paddy soil-rice system in the vicinity of a nonferrous metal smelter was investigated. The total As content in 21.2% of soil samples exceeded the first class of Chinese Soil Environmental Quality Standard, 9.62% above the second class and 7.69% above the third class. Most of soils contained enough Se content or abundant Se. The percentage of soil with rich Se content from 0.45 to 2.00 mg/kg was 88.46%. As and Se contents in crude rice was far higher than national background values, although As and Se contents in edible parts did not exceed the Chinese quality standard for rice grains. The metal smelters had led As and Se pollution in soil- rice system.