Concentrations of Zn were measured in oysters collected from 15 stations along Guangdong coastal areas during the period from 1989 to 2010.According to the more recent sampling data and the historical data,the spatialtemporal characters of Zn in oysters were analyzed,and then the pollution level of Zn was evaluated with single factor index and noncarcinogenic hazard index.The results showed the average concentration of Zn in oysters from the study sites was about 211.5 mg/kg with a lognormal distribution.In addition,annual variation of Zn in oysters depicted a threephased trend pattern,the average concentration of Zn in oysters decreased slightly during the period from 1989 to 2007,and then reached a stable concentration of 197.0 mg/kg,and increased obviously during the period from 2007 to 2009,and then presented a gentle decline from 2010.Spatial variation of Zn in oysters showed the pollution level of Zn in oysters from Pearl River Estuary was higher and a different spatial trend of Zn was observed,which was different from the results from East Guangdong coastal waters and west Guangdong coastal waters.Furthermore,the results showed no obvious effect on human health according to the evaluation of single factor index and noncarcinogenic hazard index,which indicated a low pollution level of Zn in oyster,but there is no established standard of Zn level limit in consuming the oysters.