Abstract: ObjectiveTo evaluate the dietary exposure of rare earth elements (REEs) for residents in Guangdong.MethodsDuplicate portions of all foods and drinking water consumed by local residents aged 18-45 years in rare earth mining and non-mining areas during the survey period were collected and analyzed for REEs. The acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 70 μg/kg?bw was used as a health guidance value to access the exposure risk. ResultsA total of 65 residents were recruited. Of the subjects, 31 were from the mining area, including 15 males and 16 females, with an average weight of 54.7 kg, and 34 from non-mining area, including 17 males and 17 females, with an average weight of 57.2 kg. The average age of the subjects in mining and non-mining areas was 29 years old. The average ranges of REE contents in diet and drinking water consumed by the participants were 0.33-94.45 and 0.049-51.705 μg/kg, with the highest content of lanthanum in the mining area, and 0.02-3.17 and 0.001-0.042 μg/kg, with the highest content of cerium in the non-mining area, respectively. The average intakes of REEs in subjects were 6.512 and 0.171 μg/kg?bw, accounting for 9.3% and 0.2% of the ADI in mining and non-mining areas, respectively. The 97.5th percentiles (P97.5) of exposure to REEs were 38.062 and 0.520 μg/kg?bw, accounting for 54.3% and 0.7% of ADI in mining and non-mining areas, respectively.ConclusionThe average exposure to REEs in residents of both mining and non-mining areas in Guangdong Province did not exceed the ADI and the health risk of exposure to REEs was lower.