Background: Metals mining contributes to increased concentrations of metals in the environment,thereby increasing the risk of metals exposure to populations living around mining areas.The Dabaoshan mine and Lechang Pb/Zn mine in the southeast of Guangdong Province,China,is at high risk of multi-metal pollutant discharge into the surrounding area.Following approximately several decades of exposure to these metals,little is known regarding the subsequent health effects and risks for the local residents.In our present study,we have estimated the relationships between long-term environmental exposure to multiple heavy metals and the heavy metals levels in human hair in a Chinese population in the vicinity of Dabaoshan mine and Lechang Pb/Zn mine.Methods: A total of 185 human hair samples were collected from metal exposure area(including four villages near Dabaoshan mine(135),one village near Lechang Pb/Zn mine(n=30))of Shaoguan and the non-exposure area(n=20).All the volunteers were administered a questionnaire regarding socio-demo graphic characteristics and other possible factors contributed to hair metals concentration.The correlation between metals in hair and the subject descriptors(i.e.,age,gender,and diet)was determined,and the metals concentrations in the commonly consumed foods and the local environment were also analyzed.Results: The geometric mean hair levels of Cd,Pb,Cu and Zn were measured at 0.28-0.55,10.4-26.2,11.2-24.7 and 158.7-197.2 mg/kg for subjects(n=165)in the exposure area and 0.02,0.62,10.3 and 237.2 for subjects(n = 20)from non-exposure area,respectively.The concentrations of metals in most of the food(including rice,vegetables,chicken meat,fish flesh,drinking water)and the local environments(paddy and garden soil)exceeded Chinese or FAOs standards.The hair samples from the residents living in the Dabaoshan mine and Lechang Pb/Zn mine contained markedly higher Cd and Pb concentrations than those of non-exposed populations,with Cd around 14–28 times higher and Pb 13–43 times higher than the non-exposed levels,which might be a consequence of long term exposure of the local residents to the mining activities.Conclusions: The findings of this study reveal probable associations between long-term environmental exposure to both Cd and Pb and human health effects for the residents living around mining area.