The study looked at heavy metal pollution in the sediments of the Changjiang River Estuary and nearby sea areas. They found that copper, lead, zinc, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, and mercury were present in varying amounts. The pollution was higher in the river estuary and Hangzhou Bay compared to the outer continental shelf waters. The south sea areas had more heavy metals than the north sea areas. Copper and chromium were the main pollution factors, while cadmium, mercury, and copper posed the highest ecological risks. Overall, only some parts of the area were polluted, and the ecological risk was generally low.