A Collaborative Approach for Metal Pollution Assessment in Production System of Plastic-Shed Vegetables Near Industrial Areas.

A collaborative assessment approach, including impact index of comprehensive quality (IICQ), food pollution index (FPI), and single factor pollution index (PI), was used to simultaneously select priority metal pollutants and assess metal contamination status in the plastic-shed soil (PSS)-vegetable system of the industrial towns situated in the Yangtze River Delta, China. Overall, significant Cr increment as well as Cd and Cu pollution in PSS existed, which was related to anthropogenic activities, especially industrial wastewater irrigation. The evaluation using PI and FPI demonstrated that priority metal pollutants were Cu and Cd in PSS while Cr and Cd in vegetables. Additionally, the estimation using IICQ method revealed that 23.3% and 13.3% of the sampling sites were sub-moderately and heavily contaminated by metals, respectively. These sites especially with heavy pollution need priority pollution management. These data will be beneficial to metal pollution control in PSS-vegetable system around industrial areas.