Abstract: To monitor the levels of trace heavy metals in filter rods during production and smoking, a method for rapidly determining the levels of arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) in filter rods was developed by adopting energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry. The results showed that: 1) The linear determination coefficients were all greater than 0.98, which met the requirement of GB/T 27404—2008. The linear ranges of arsenic and lead were 0.118-1.882 and 0.716-10.738 mg/kg, and their limits of detection were 0.035 and 0.215 mg/kg, respectively. 2) Compared with the method described in YC/T 316—2014, both the relative deviation and RSD between EDXRF and ICP-MS methods were less than 20%. The EDXRF method had the advantages of rapid, accurate, convenient in operation and less consumables needed. It is suitable for the quality control in the production process and the quality supervision of tobacco filter rods.