In this project, the relationships between the trace element content of vegetables, agricultural soil, and airborne particulate matter were investigated in the greater industrial area of Thessaloniki, northern Greece. Most of the elements were found at concentrations normally observed in vegetables grown in uncontaminated areas; however, elevated concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cr, and Mn were found, in particular, in the leafy vegetables. The trace element content of agricultural soil was found to be low, despite the airborne paniculate matter that was highly enriched with zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and magnesium (Mn). Multivariate statistical analysis indicated that the compositional patterns of the vegetables, the soil, and the atmospheric particulates were largely different. The dominant pathway for most trace elements to vegetable leaves appeared to originate mostly from the atmosphere. High accumulation due to atmospheric deposition was found for Pb, Cr (chromium), and Cd, especially in leafy vegetables. Root vegetables were found to accumulate soil Cd more efficiently than the other trace elements analyzed there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]