Abstract: 5 kinds of heavy metal elements, such as Ni, Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn, were determined by microwave digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) by selecting samples from the main producing areas of Xiapu, Fujian. The accuracy and reliability of the combined method were examined through the standard recovery test and the verification of national standard materials. The results showed that the method had the advantages of high analysis speed, simple operation, high sensitivity, high accuracy and precision, and was suitable for the determination of various heavy metal elements in kelp.