Study was carried out on spatial variability and transfer of heavy metals and their driving factors in cropsoil systems around three different types of factories in southern part of Jiangsu Province. Results show that wastewater irrigation led to Pb and Cd accumulation in soils around F1 (a lead oxide factory) and F2 (a chemical factory), respectively, and concentrations of heavy metals in crops were also increased. Although F3 (a metallurgical plant) did not cause any significant heavy metal accumulation in the soils around, its waste gas emission greatly raised Pb concentration in the crops. Spatially soils and plants high in heavy metal concentration were distributed maily within the radius of about 50 m from the waste water outlet, and decreased exponentially with the distance from the factory. Soil with heavy metal contents higher than the local soil background values were found within the radius of about 400 m (F1) and 100 m (F2). In soil profile, Pb and Cd were accumulated mainly in 0～20 cm soil layer. Affected by wastewater irrigation, there were significant exponential relationship between Pb in rice and Pb in soil and between Cd in rice and Cd in soil, and significant linear relationship between Cd in wheat and Cd in soil When soil available Cd and total Cd in the soil was 0.319 mg kg^-1 and 1.42 mg kg^-1, respectively, Cd concentration in wheat would exceed the criterion of the national food safety standard (0.2 mg kg^-1); and when soil available Cd and total Cd in soil reached 0.360 mg kg^-1 and 1.50 mg kg^-1, respectively, Cd concentration in rice would exceed the criterion. Under the air pollution, no significant relationship was found between the heavy metal in crops and in soil.