Abstract:With the changes in the human dietary structure, exposure of heavy metals posed by consumption of vegetables has drawn more and more attention. However, the lack of study on the characteristics of heavy metal accumulation, influencing factors, and sources in leafy vegetables grown in greenhouse and open-field cultivation limited the effective control of heavy metal accumulation in vegetables. Herein, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) was utilized to determine the concentrations of Cd, Pb, As, and Cr in white amaranth and water spinach sampling from greenhouse and open-field in Youxian County, Huna Province. The results showed that the concentrations of heavy metals in leafy vegetables grown in greenhouse were generally lower than those in open-field, except for As in white amaranth and Cd in water spinach. The significantly positive relationship between concentrations of water-soluble Cd in soils and Cd in vegetables grown in greenhouse suggested that the water-soluble Cd can be used for more effectively predicting plant availability of Cd in soil. The soil was identified to be dominant source of Cd in leafy vegetables grown in greenhouse; while, both soil and atmospheric deposition affected Cd accumulation in leafy vegetables grown in open-field. The hazard quotient (HQ) of each heavy metal in white amaranth and water spinach grown in greenhouse was lower than those in open-field, except for Cd in water spinach grown in greenhouse; moreover, the hazard index (HI) in white amaranth grown in open-field was significantly higher than that in greenhouse, indicative of higher health risk posed by heavy metals in leafy vegetables grown in open-field. The outcomes of this study are expected to shed new light on an improved understanding of heavy metal accumulation and health risk in vegetables under greenhouse and open-field cultivation, and provide scientific basis for safe cultivation and utilization of vegetables.