Heavy metals in developed and developing nations alike remain one of the most challenging environmental problems of this century. There is a clear need for a multidisciplinary forum where all aspects of current work dealing with heavy metal pollution and its ecological and health impacts can be discussed by experts from various parts of the world. The 17th International Conference on Heavy Metals in the Environment (ICHMET2014) is a unique event in the calendar of the environmental science congress. It aims to provide a unique platform for discussion and presentation of state-of-the-art research activities to a broad international scientific community in field of all heavy metals in a trans-disciplinary context. Scientists need to understand not only the unique features and behavior of individual heavy metals but also the differences, similarities and interactions of different metals at the ecosystem, systemic and cellular levels if we are to deal with the problems of global heavy metal pollution in a sustainable manner. The 17th ICHMET endeavors to break down the expertizing walls that are increasingly being erected around individual heavy metals, and believes that there are advantages in having a forum for specialists to share their research on arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, zinc and other metals. The 17th ICHMET is a continuation of a series of highly successful conferences held in major cities of the world since 1975, and follows on from previous symposia held every two years, the most recent being in Rome, Italy (2012) and Gdansk, Poland (2010). This conference will include a number of invited lectures treating frontier topics prepared by specialist with international reputation, oral presentation and poster sessions. The 17th ICHMET welcomes contributions on all aspects of any heavy metal in the environment. The 17th ICHMET will be hosted by the Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, China, through 22-26 September, 2014. Guiyang is the capital city of Guizhou Province in the Southwest China, with a total population of 4,324,561, and is well known for the local beautiful karst landscape and comfortable weather. Details of the 17th ICHMET will be regularly updated on this website. We look forward to welcoming you to Guiyang, China in September 2014.