Obesity is an international public health concern and it is related to various metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases [WHO, Obesity and overweight, 2021, online]. Some trace elements (i.e. Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb) have showed obesogen-like abilities [W. Shao, Environ Sci Pollut Res, 2017, 24, 11573–11581] but studies on chronic organs accumulation are limited. White adipose tissue (WAT), recognized as an endocrine and paracrine organ, stores energy and fat but its expansion causes obesity. Two main classes of WAT have been identified according to their location: subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) – including abdominal and gluteofemoral adipose tissues, which are highly sensitive to insulin- and visceral adipose tissue (VAT), sensitive to lipolysis and inflammation. A specific depot of VAT is the epicardial one, which exerts a direct vasocrine and paracrine influence on the heart. Although each of these adipose tissue depots shows functional specificities, very few epidemiological studies investigated the concentrations of trace elements in adipose tissues. Here we monitored trace element levels in four different adipose tissue deposits and explored their relation with different phenotypic data. Quantification of 16 trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb, Pt, Hg, Pb) was performed by inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (7700 Series, Agilent) in four deposits of human adipose tissue: visceral (VAT), epicardial (EAT), subcutaneous (SAT) and gluteofemoral (GAT). Samples of 103 persons, collected during autopsies in our center, were analyzed. Phenotypic data (age, sex, BMI), diabetes status and post-mortem interval were known. Multiple linear regression was used to look for association between phenotypic variables and trace elements concentrations. Cu, Zn, Se, Mn and Cd were detected in all adipose tissues samples; other trace elements were found only in some of the deposits. For most individuals, visceral adipose tissue samples showed higher trace element concentrations than subcutaneous ones. Interestingly, different trace elements presented a specific patterns of accumulation in the deposits. Adipose tissue did not appear to be strongly impacted by post-mortem redistribution. Only EAT showed significant difference ( P < 0.01) in Cd concentrations, depending on post-mortem interval (PMI): higher concentrations were measured when PMI > 48 h compared to PMI < 12 h. Most trace elements concentrations in adipose tissues showed a significant and negative association with BMI (for Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Mo in the four deposits and for V, Cr, Mn, Cd, Hg, Pb only in some of them). Association with age was significant and positive for As, Cd and Sn in some deposits and association with sex was significant only in few cases. Men presented significant higher arsenic levels than women in the four deposits and women showed significant higher concentrations of Cr (in EAT), Mn (in VAT), Se (in VAT), Mo (in VAT), Ag (in EAT), Cd (in VAT, EAT, and SAT) than men. Hypothesis of long-term accumulation of trace elements in adipose tissue is conceivable, yet it appeared to be element- and location-specific. Although the limited number of subjects included in this cohort was not enough to conclude on the significance of some outcomes, the tendencies observed raise new questions on the possible impact of trace elements on adipose tissue function. Therefore, further research is needed on this topic to corroborate the hypotheses raised in this study.