Abstract:Soil pollution is deteriorating due to rapid urbanization, industrial and agriculture development. As a new soil sustainable management tool, the research of critical loads of pollutants in soils can develop soil environmental quality index. So far, limited research work has been done in China in relation to it. In order to promote its development in China, a general introduction is given to trend of the research in the world on soil critical loads of pollutants, and the principle as well as application function, and existing problems. Calculation of dynamic approach and risk-based critical loads has been an international trend. Currently, many uncertainties still remain in modeling and critical limits. To consider the processes of pollutants accumulation or loss from soils over time and make it reliable, future research should focus on developing critical limits based on health or ecotoxicological effects and dynamic approaches, including pollutant transfer model in environment and dose-effect relationship of pollutants.