Abstract: Objective　The study was conducted to compare the reliability and practical value of rapid arsenic test(rapid method) with that of hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry method (HG-AFS) for detection of arsenic content in drinking water. Methods　A total of 747 samples of drinking water were detected by the rapid method and HG-AFS method, and the results of both methods were compared; rank sum test designed by SPSS 10.0 was conducted to process the data. Results　There was not significant difference between the general results achieved by the two methods (u=1.32, P0.05), while there was significant difference between 0.03-0.05 mg/L among the results achieved by the two methods (u=2.42,P0.05). Conclusion　HG-AFS method is stable and reliable, while the rapid method is simple and can be used just in scene. Use the rapid method for initial screening and then HG-AFS to detect the arsenic content of the samples, then workload can be reduced while the reliability can be ensured, thus the demand of prevention and treatment of endemic arsenism can be satisfied.