Abstract: In order to investigate the current status of heavy metal pollution and food safety of aquatic products from Lake Taihu, atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) was used to determine the contents of Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn in the head, muscle and viscera of farmed and wild aquatic products. The results showed that the distribution patterns of heavy metals in different parts of aquatic products were quite different. Heavy metals were mainly distributed in the head and viscera of all investigated aquatic products except wild crucian carp (Carassius auratus). The contents of heavy metals in each part of aquatic products generally decreased in the following order: Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd. The levels of heavy metal pollution in the muscle tissue of farmed and wild aquatic products were different, with higher levels being found in the muscle tissue of wild aquatic products. Furthermore, the content of each heavy metal in muscle tissue were also different among different kinds of aquatic products, with both farmed and wild Metapenaeus ensis having the strongest Cu accumulation capacity while wild crucian carp having the strongest Zn accumulation capacity. The heavy metal pollution in the muscle tissue of aquatic products from Lake Taihu was generally at slight levels, and only a few of them were seriously polluted with heavy metals. The main pollution factors were Pb and Zn.

Key words: Lake Taihu, heavy metals, aquatic products, accumulation characteristics, food safety