Variation of Lead Content in Paddy Rice and Soil of Janghang Smelter Area

To investigate differences in lead content in soils and paddy rices, affected by air pollutants from the Janghang Smelter, soil samples at the different directions, distances, and depths, surface(0-15cm depth) and subsurface(15-30cm depth) in 1982 and 1990, and rice plants at soil sampling sites in 1990 were separately collected at the Janghang Smelter area affected by combustible waste gas from the smelter chimney. Soil samples were extracted with and plant samples were digested with mixture of and for analyzing by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The Pb contents in soils ranged from 10.3 to 644.8mg . The average content in 1990 was higher than that in 1982. The Pb content in soils at sites nearer the center of the smelter was higher than that at sites farther from the center. The highest lead content was found at the east direction, and was low in order of east>north-north east>north east > north. The variation of Pb level in soils at east sites was more considerable than other directions. The Pb level in surface soils was higher than that in subsurface soils. The contaminated radius of Pb was until 3km all at east, north-north east and north east. A significant correlation was found between Pb content in surface soils of 1982 and that in surface soils of 1990, between Pb content in soils and contents of Cd and Zn in soils, and between Pb content in soils and soil properties as organic matter, available silicate, cation exchange capacity, exchangeable , and . Pb content in brown rice was low in the panicle axis, and brown rice, and Pb content in stem was 3.26 times of that in brown rice. Pb content in brown rice ranged from 2.2 to 9.0 mg .