Current situation and prospect of the studies on the loading capacity of soil for pollutants (LCSP) are briefly introduced in this paper. The values of LCSP which are based at present on the "black box" theoretics or take the "total amount" and "availability" as starting points are reviewed. The main problems existing in tLe present studies are described as follows. (1) there is a lack of long-term experimental results. Tests with wetland rice as an index for four years in succession showed that the significant difference of the LCSP value among the years appeared in the same soil. The coefficient of variability reached 51-66% and the highest value was 3.2-4.6 times as much as the lowest one. Thrr}fore the reliable values of LCSP should be acquired from the long-term experiment in a fixed region, and the lowest value is the appropriate one. (2) There is certain limitation in the choosing of chemical compounds. For instance, the marked differences were found in the yield decrement and the amount of As absorbed by rice plant at the same concentration of As added with various compounds.