June 1999 |
ToxFAQs™ |
for |
Cadmium |
(Cadmio) |
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This fact sheet answers the most frequently
asked health questions about cadmium. For more information,
you may call the ATSDR Information Center at 1-888-422-8737.
This fact sheet is one in a series of summaries about hazardous
substances and their health effects. This information is important
because this substance may harm you. The effects of exposure
to any hazardous substance depend on the dose, the duration,
how you are exposed, personal traits and habits, and whether
other chemicals are present.
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HIGHLIGHTS: Exposure to cadmium
happens mostly in the workplace where cadmium products
are made. The general population is exposed from breathing
cigarette smoke or eating cadmium contaminated foods.
Cadmium damages the lungs, can cause kidney disease, and
may irritate the digestive tract. This substance has been
found in at least 776 of the 1,467 National Priorities
List sites identified by the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). |
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What
is cadmium? |
Cadmium is a natural element in the earth's
crust. It is usually found as a mineral combined with other
elements such as oxygen (cadmium oxide), chlorine (cadmium
chloride), or sulfur (cadmium sulfate, cadmium sulfide).
All soils and rocks, including coal and
mineral fertilizers, contain some cadmium. Most cadmium used
in the United States is extracted during the production of
other metals like zinc, lead, and copper. Cadmium does not
corrode easily and has many uses, including batteries, pigments,
metal coatings, and plastics.
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What
happens to cadmium when it enters the environment? |
- Cadmium enters air from mining, industry, and burning
coal and household wastes.
- Cadmium particles in air can travel long distances before
falling to the ground or water.
- It enters water and soil from waste disposal and spills
or leaks at hazardous waste sites.
- It binds strongly to soil particles.
- Some cadmium dissolves in water.
- It doesn't break down in the environment, but can change
forms.
- Fish, plants, and animals take up cadmium from the environment.
- Cadmium stays in the body a very long time and can build
up from many years of exposure to low levels.
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How
might I be exposed to cadmium? |
- Breathing contaminated workplace air (battery manufacturing,
metal soldering or welding).
- Eating foods containing it; low levels in all foods (highest
in shellfish, liver, and kidney meats).
- Breathing cadmium in cigarette smoke (doubles the average
daily intake).
- Drinking contaminated water.
- Breathing contaminated air near the burning of fossil
fuels or municipal waste.
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How
can cadmium affect my health? |
Breathing high levels of cadmium severely
damages the lungs and can cause death. Eating food or drinking
water with very high levels severely irritates the stomach,
leading to vomiting and diarrhea. Long-term exposure to lower
levels of cadmium in air, food, or water leads to a buildup
of cadmium in the kidneys and possible kidney disease. Other
long-term effects are lung damage and fragile bones.
Animals given cadmium in food or water
had high blood pressure, iron-poor blood, liver disease, and
nerve or brain damage.
We don't know if humans get any of these
diseases from eating or drinking cadmium. Skin contact with
cadmium is not known to cause health effects in humans or
animals.
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How
likely is cadmium to cause cancer? |
The Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS) has determined that cadmium and cadmium compounds may
reasonably be anticipated to be carcinogens.
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How
does cadmium affect children? |
The health effects in children are expected
to be similar to those in adults (kidney, lung and intestinal
damage).
We don't know if cadmium causes birth
defects in people. Cadmium does not readily go from a pregnant
woman's body into the developing child, but some portion can
cross the placenta. It can also be found in breast milk. The
babies of animals exposed to high levels of cadmium during
pregnancy had changes in behavior and learning ability. Cadmium
may also affect birth weight and the skeleton in developing
animals.
Animal studies also indicate that more
cadmium is absorbed into the body if the diet is low in calcium,
protein, or iron, or is high in fat. A few studies show that
younger animals absorb more cadmium and are more likely to
lose bone and bone strength than adults.
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How
can families reduce the risk of exposure to cadmium? |
In the home, store substances that contain
cadmium safely, and keep nickel-cadmium batteries out of reach
of young children. If you work with cadmium, use all safety
precautions to avoid carrying cadmium-containing dust home
from work on your clothing, skin, hair, or tools.
A balanced diet can reduce the amount
of cadmium taken into the body from food and drink.
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Is
there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to cadmium? |
Tests are available in some medical laboratories
that measure cadmium in blood, urine, hair, or nails. Blood
levels show recent exposure to cadmium, and urine levels show
both recent and earlier exposure. The reliability of tests
for cadmium levels in hair or nails is unknown.
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Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health? |
The EPA has set a limit of 5 parts of
cadmium per billion parts of drinking water (5 ppb). EPA doesn't
allow cadmium in pesticides.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
limits the amount of cadmium in food colors to 15 parts per
million (15 ppm).
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) limits workplace air to 100 micrograms cadmium per
cubic meter (100 µg/m³) as cadmium fumes and 200
µg cadmium/m³ as cadmium dust.
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References |
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR). 1999. Toxicological
Profile for cadmium. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Public Health Service.
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Where can I get more information? |
ATSDR can tell you where to find occupational
and environmental health clinics. Their specialists can recognize,
evaluate, and treat illnesses resulting from exposure to hazardous
substances. You can also contact your community or state health
or environmental quality department if you have any more questions
or concerns. For more information, contact:
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Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737)
FAX: (770)-488-4178
Email: ATSDRIC@cdc.gov
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