Abstract:Basic properties and heavy metal contents were investigated of paddy soil next to a typical used electronic device disassembling site in the Yangtze River Delta. Results show that its soil pH varied from 3.8 to 4.4, with an average of 4.1, which was obviously lower than that (pH=6.0) obtained during the Second National Soil Survey of China, demonstrating severe soil acidification. Its Cu and Cd content was 8.6 and 31.0 times as much as that, respectively, of Grade ⅡCriteria of the National Standard for Environment Quality. Its synthetic pollution index reached 32.3, indicating serious pollution. Soil pH is a leading factor influencing soil pollution of heavy metals, because lower pH improves activity of heavy metals. The extraction rate of Cu and Cd with 0.1mol L-1 HCl was 72.0% and 50.8%, respectively, and their accumulation in the plant of rice was significant, especially in grains, where the content of Cd was 2 times as high as the criterion in the National Hygienic Standards for Grains. Obviously, soil acidification and heavy mental pollution synchronously existed in this farmland, posing potential health risk through the food chain. It is, therefore, essential to take positive measures to control the pollution and remedy the polluted soil.