Introduction:
Introduction. The degradation of post-industrial areas is one of the main ecological problems. The high content of heavy metals in soils in these areas is a serious threat to the health of residents of nearby settlements. The aim of the work is to assess the non-dietary ingestion exposure to heavy metals of the youngest population in selected cities of Upper Silesia.

Material and Methods:
52 soil samples were collected from post-industrial areas and post-mining heaps, including the area intended for reclamation and revitalization operations (Ruda Śląska), as well as the area already subjected to these operations (Olkusz). After the samples were cleaned, dried, and weighed, the mineralization process was carried out, and the concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Pb and Zn) was determined by atomic emission spectrometry with inductively induced plasma (ICPOES). The assessment of non-dietary exposure of children to heavy metals was made on the basis of the US EPA guidelines on the methods of calculating the dose, depending on the age, weight of the child, and the duration of exposurez

Results:
The largest exceedances of tolerable levels of heavy metals in the soil have been recorded in samples taken from the post-industrial area in Olkusz, wherea skatepark is currently located. For most of the examples analyzed, the potential heavy metal dose (LADD) was a multiple of tolerable weekly intake (TWI) for cadmium or a desirable dose (BMDL) for lead.

Conclusions:
The analysis of the concentration of heavy metals in the collected soil samples showed that the tolerable values were multiply exceeded for soils originating from both the post-mining heaps and the recreational area. Exposure of children and adolescents to such high levels of heavy metals is a significant risk to their health.