Abstract: We investigated the pollution status of heavy metals in aquatic products and human exposure, and explored the influence of aquatic products consumption on the concentrations of heavy metals in residents’ hair in Qingdao. A total of 156 aquatic products samples with 19 common species and 130 human hair samples were collected in Qingdao. The concentrations of Cd, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, and Zn in aquatic products and hair samples were measured by ICP-MS. The median values of Cd, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, and Zn concentrations in 156 aquatic products samples were 0.006, 1.18, 0.015, 0.253, 2.06, and 11.8 mg·kg^-1, respectively. The concentrations of heavy metals varied across different kinds of aquatic products. The averages of Cd concentrations in scallops and shrimps were 2.45 and 1.14 mg·kg^-1, respectively, with 50% of scallop samples (6/12) and 100% of shrimps samples (10/10) exceeding China’s national food safety standard. The median values of Cd, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, and Zn concentrations in residents’ hair samples were 0.0231, 0.0518, 0.988, 0.595, 7.81, and 155 mg·kg^-1, respectively, with the exceeding rates being 0, 1.5%, 2.3%, 6.9%, 2.3% and 28.4% compared with national recommended values for hair heavy metals, respectively. The hair Zn concentrations in residents with high frequency of fish consumption were significantly elevated. The hair Pb, As, and Zn concentrations changed significantly with age. The hair As concentration of male was significantly higher than that of female (P<0.01), and hair Zn concentration of female was significantly higher than that of male (P<0.01). Our results indicated that the Cd concentrations in scallops and shrimps in Qingdao were relatively high, which should be restricted for consumption. The average Zn concentration in oyster was 107 mg·kg^-1, which should be limited for consumption. The main influencing factors of heavy metals concentrations in human hair include age, gender, and the consumption frequency of aquatic products. About 28% of hair Zn concentrations exceeded the notional recommended value, indicating that residents in Qingdao had potential risks of Zn exposure. Our results provide important reference for dietary guidance of aquatic products and risk control of heavy metal exposure in Qingdao.

Key words: aquatic product, human hair, heavy metal, Qingdao.