This pamphlet provides answers to basic questions about cadmium. It will explain what cadmium is, where it is found, how it can affect your health, and what you can do to prevent or reduce exposure to it.

Cadmium is released into the environment from mining and metal processing operations, burning fuels, making and using phosphate fertilizers, and disposing of metal products. People living near industry that conducts any of these activities may be exposed to cadmium. Cadmium exposure at low levels usually does not produce immediate health effects, but can cause adverse health effects over long periods.

WHAT IS CADMIUM AND HOW IS IT USED?

Pure cadmium is a soft, silver-white metal found naturally in small amounts in soil. Cadmium usually combines with other things to form different compounds. Some of these compounds affect the body more than others. Cadmium does not have a definite taste or odor.

Cadmium is not mined, but it is a by-product of the smelting of other metals such as zinc, lead, and copper. Cadmium is used in nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries and for metal plating. It also is used in some paints, plastics, and metal solders. Some metal containers, such as ice cube trays, pitchers, or bowls can contain small amounts of cadmium. Ceramicware also can contain some cadmium. The principal industries that use cadmium are metal smelting, electronics, nuclear power, paint pigment production, and other metal working and refining companies.

HOW DOES CADMIUM GET INTO THE ENVIRONMENT?

Cadmium is found naturally in small quantities in air, water, and soil. Since cadmium is a metal, it does not break down and can accumulate over time. Burning household or industrial waste and burning coal or oil may release cadmium into the air. Cadmium also can be released from car exhaust, metal processing industries, battery and paint manufacturing, and waste hauling and disposal activities. Once cadmium is in the air, it spreads with the wind and settles onto the ground or surface water as dust.

Higher levels of cadmium may be found in soil or water near industrial areas or hazardous waste sites. High levels of cadmium in surface soils usually result from cadmium particles settling from the air. Soils near roads may contain high levels of cadmium from car exhaust. Surface water also can contain low levels of dissolved cadmium. Cadmium in water tends to sink and accumulate in bottom sediments.

HOW CAN I BE EXPOSED TO CADMIUM?

Cadmium can enter the body from smoking tobacco, eating and drinking food and water containing cadmium, and inhaling it from the air. People living near sources of cadmium or cadmium-related industries may be exposed in all these ways. The skin does not easily absorb cadmium.

Cigarettes contain cadmium, and smokers inhale cadmium when they smoke. Breathing secondhand smoke is not believed to be a main source of exposure to cadmium. For people who do not smoke, food is the most common source of cadmium. Fruits and vegetables, especially grains, potatoes, and leafy vegetables like spinach, grown in soils with high levels of cadmium may contain elevated levels of cadmium. Shellfish and organ meats like liver or kidney also contain more cadmium than other foods.

If a community or home has extremely soft water, small amounts of cadmium may move from metal water lines into drinking water. If you use ceramicware or cadmium-plated metal containers such as ice cube trays, pitchers, or bowls to prepare or store food and drinks, some cadmium may move into the food or drinks. Also, hobbyists who make jewelry, stained glass, or work with paints containing cadmium may be exposed.

HOW DOES CADMIUM ENTER THE BODY?

The amount of cadmium that enters the body depends on how a person is exposed. Cadmium compounds are not easily absorbed by the skin. When you eat food or drink water containing cadmium, only a small amount is absorbed by the body. Poor nutrition may increase how much cadmium the body absorbs. Very small cadmium particles may reach the air sacs deep within the lungs. If cadmium is a gas or fume, it is even more easily absorbed. Once in the body, cadmium is stored mainly in the bone, liver, and kidneys.

HOW CAN CADMIUM AFFECT MY HEALTH?

Cadmium has no beneficial effect on human health. Health effects caused by cadmium depend on how much has entered the body, how long you have been exposed to cadmium, and how the body responds.

Some workers who breathe air with high levels of cadmium over a short time experience lung damage and even death. Breathing cadmium in air does not usually cause immediate breathing problems or any warning signs. Therefore, exposure may continue until serious lung damage has occurred. Most cadmium levels found in the environment are not high enough to cause lung damage. Breathing lower levels of cadmium over several years can result in a buildup of cadmium in the kidneys and lead to kidney disease. It also can cause bones to become weaker. If you eat food or drink water that contains large amounts of cadmium, stomach irritation, vomiting, and diarrhea may result. Small amounts of cadmium taken in over many years may cause kidney damage and fragile bones.

Female rats and mice fed diets high in cadmium have offspring with low birth weight and improperly formed bones. Low birth weight also has been found in women exposed to cadmium in the workplace. Exposure to cadmium at normal environmental levels is not likely to cause low birth weight infants. Rodents exposed to cadmium in air have higher rates of lung cancer, liver damage, and changes in the immune system. There is no evidence that cadmium causes cancer at the low levels normally found in the environment.

IS THERE A TEST TO DETERMINE IF IF I HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO CADMIUM?

If you think you have been exposed to high levels of cadmium, you should consult your physician immediately. Cadmium can be measured in blood, urine, hair, nails, liver, and kidneys. Kidney and liver function tests can be done to see if cadmium has damaged them. These tests are often done in combination with other tests, such as a chest X-ray.

HOW CAN I REDUCE MY EXPOSURE TO CADMIUM?

You need to be aware of the possible sources of cadmium to limit your intake. Not smoking cigarettes and eating a nutritious diet will help reduce exposure and prevent harmful effects. If your drinking water comes from a private well near a source of cadmium, you may want to have the water tested. Public water systems test for cadmium on a regular basis. If you live near a source of cadmium, you may want to have your garden soil tested for cadmium.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) limits the amount of cadmium allowed in drinking water, lakes, rivers, landfills, and cropland. USEPA does not allow cadmium in pesticides. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration limits cadmium levels in food, and limits the amount in ceramicware.

WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION?

Illinois Department of Public Health
Division of Environmental Health
525 W. Jefferson St.
Springfield, IL 62761
217-782-5830
TTY (hearing impaired use only) 800-547-0466

This pamphlet was supported in part by funds from the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act trust fund through a cooperative agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.