Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trace metals were analysed in surface sediments of the Narew River (north-eastern Poland). Sediment samples originated from sites with a differentiated human influence starting with the unpolluted areas (the Biaµowie.a Forest / Puszcza Biaµowieska, the so-called şgreen lungs of Polandş) to the areas in the neighbourhood of small towns in northeastern Poland. Marked differences in pollution levels of the above areas were observed. The PAH contents range from 21-600 mg/kg, with a dominant share of low molecular PAHs. The sediment pollution level with trace metals was relatively low. None of the metals determined (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) occurred in an amount that could have created a risk to water organisms.