Contamination with the eight elements, Hg, As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Cd, is a serious concern in Zhongshan, which is a typical light industrial city, China. 60 surface soil samples were collected to investigate the concentrations, spatial distribution, human health risk, and sources of these elements in the soils in Zhongshan. The concentrations of the eight elements were analyzed while using ordinary kriging analysis, pollution load index (PLI), potential ecological risk index (RI), human health risk, correlation analysis, and factor analysis. The mean concentrations of the tested elements, excluding Pb and As, were higher than the soil background values in the Pearl River Delta. The spatial distribution of the tested elements revealed a zonal distribution pattern and high values in several areas. The mean PLI and RI indicated slight and moderate risk levels. Health risk assessment demonstrates that both children and adults were more exposed to Cu than to Cr, As, and Cd. However, the associated carcinogenic risk is acceptable. Hg that originated from human activities; As, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Cd originated from industrial activities; and, Pb and Zn originated from transportation activities. Cd was the main pollutant in the study area and it was present at higher concentrations when compared with those of the other elements. Therefore, Zhongshan should encourage enterprises to conduct industrial transformation to control the ecological risk.

The silicon crystal industry is an emerging industry that uses silicon ore to obtain crystalline silicon and silicon micropower through processing. The China silicon crystal industry generally suffers from poor market supervision and low added-value products, which decreases the industry’s competitiveness and affects overall economic development. This study used the SWOT–PEST model to analyze the internal and external factors, constructed the county competitiveness evaluation index system with four dimensions and 20 variables, and used the gray correlation evaluation model to conduct empirical research on data on the competitiveness of the silicon crystal industry in Suichuan and in another three counties. Compared with the industrial competitiveness in the other three counties, the competitiveness in Suichuan County is still relatively low, but it has been increasing rapidly in recent years. The silicon crystal industry in Suichuan County has great advantages, such as resource endowment, energy, and policy support. The main factors affecting the competitiveness of the silicon crystal industry in Suichuan County are the number of brands, the situation of foreign exports, and the output of silicon products. Therefore, Suichuan County should adjust the silicon crystal industry based on these evaluation results to promote the sustainable development of this industry.