The distribution characteristics of heavy metals (cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn)) in the natural soil profiles around the Huludao Zinc Plant (HZP), an old industrial base in Northeast China, were analyzed. The pollutant source was identified using Pb-210 isotope technique to evaluate the geochemical characteristics of Pb and the historical production records of HZP. The results indicated: dust precipitation from HZP was the primary source of the pollutants. The average deposition rates of Cd. Pb and Zn were 0.33, 1.75, and 30.97 g/m(2) year, respectively at 1 km away after HZP, and 0.0048, 0.035, and 0.20 g/m(2) year, respectively at 10 km away after HZP. There is a risk of secondary pollution to the environment as well as the food chain in seriously polluted areas used for cultivation. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.