RESUMEN
Objective:To detect heavy metals in 100 Chinese traditional medicine materials to evaluate the heavy metal residue situation. Methods:The ministry of land and resources Wuhan supervision and inspection center of mineral resources was authorized to examine four heavy metals: lead ( Pb ) , cadmium ( Cd ) , arsenic ( As ) and mercury ( Hg ) . Results: The Chinese herbal medicines showed different degree of heavy metal pollution with the over standard rate of 22%, and the over standard rate of Cd, Pb, As and Hg was 19%, 5%, 2% and 1%, respectively. The situation of two over standard heavy metals in single sample from the same batch exis-ted. As for the medicinal parts, roots and rootstock herbs accounted for 50% in the all over standard. As for the regions, east China and central-southern China had the highest over standard. Conclusion: The examined medicines exhibit heavy metal pollution. It is necessary to strengthen the examination and control for harmful chemical elements in Chinese herbal medicines to enhance the quality and guarantee clinical use safety.