Polish data of lead and cadmium concentrations in such environmental compartments as: air, dust, soil, diet and drinking water were presented in the paper. Special emphasis was placed to the Upper Silesian industrial Region, the central part of the Katowice Province, the most polluted area in Poland. An attempt was made to assess human exposure to heavy metals. According to the available data it can be concluded that the WHO tolerable intake (ADI, PTWI) could be exceeded in an extremely disadvantageous situation occurring in the Katowice Province. Furthermore, a critical review of heavy metal standards in soil, dustfall and edible plants, obligatory in Poland, was presented. The author states that there are still some inconsistencies in current regulations in Poland. In order to remove them, an interdisciplinary board consisting of such disciplines representatives as: medicine, toxicology, nutritional science, law and protection of soils used for agricultural purposes should be appointed.