Smoked areca nuts contain harmful substances such as benzo-a-pyrene on its surface, because they are cured in wood smoke in the initial processing process. People's health is seriously threatened by these harmful substances. It is crucial for people to monitor the residues of benzo-a-pyrene effectively in areca nut to ensure the food safety. The sources of benzo-a-pyrene pollution in edible areca nut and the pretreatment methods for detecting benzo-a-pyrene in edible areca nut are summarized in this study, and several instrumental methods for the determination of benzo-a-pyrene in food are also evaluated. Our study is helpful to improving deficiencies and further research.