This paper is the result of environmental geological survey engineering. Objective Taking the eastern part of Leizhou as research area, this paper studies the concentration and spatial distribution characteristics of heavy metals in soil, analyzes the sources of heavy metals, evaluates the degree of heavy metal pollution, and assess the health risks to human health. Methods A total of 381 soil samples are collected to measure the concentration of heavy metal elements such as As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn. GIS technique is used to analyze the spatial distribution characteristics of soil heavy metals; the single factor pollution index and Nemerow comprehensive pollution index methods are used to evaluate the degree of soil heavy metals pollution, and Monte Carlo health risk model is used to assess human health risks. Results (1) The average concentration values of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn in the soil are 5.85×10^–6, 0.079×10^–6, 64.03×10^–6, 14.11×10^–6, 0.07×10^–6, 21.23×10^–6, 35.38×10^–6, 76.45×10^–6, respectively. Among them, the average concentration values of Cd, Cr, Ni and Zn in the surface soils exceed the background values of soils in Guangdong Province, which indicates that these four heavy metal elements in the soil are relatively enriched. (2) The single factor pollution index and Nemerow comprehensive pollution index show that the soil is "clean" in the study area, with only a few points being polluted slightly. (3) In addition to geological background sources, heavy metals in surface soil also come from sources such as transportation, agriculture, and industry. (4) The health risk assessment of heavy metals shows that the non–carcinogenic health risks of children and adults could be ignored, but there are tolerable carcinogenic risks for both children and adults. The major carcinogenic factor is As. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the SL (Skin adhesion coefficient) is the primary factor affecting non–carcinogenic health risk, while the SL and As are the primary factors affecting carcinogenic health risk in adults and children, respectively. The main exposure routes of carcinogenicity are skin exposure and hand–oral exposure. Conclusions The pollution of soil heavy metals in the eastern of Leizhou is relatively low, and the ecological risk is low on the whole. However, Hg and Cd should be given sufficient attention. As is the main carcinogenic factor affecting human health, and pollution prevention and control of As should be strengthened.