Cadmium is highly toxic and known to cause cancer, yet nearly 8% of men and almost 19% of women in the United States are exposed to cadmium at levels that may be toxic.
Cadmium is a soft, silvery-white metal used in pigments, batteries, jewelry, and more. But here's the catch—it's poisonous and a significant environmental hazard.
Cadmium exposure, particularly in high concentrations, can cause serious complications. This article explores cadmium, its common uses, how cadmium poisoning occurs, and how to combat it.
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What is Cadmium?
Learning more about cadmium and its origins makes it easier to avoid toxicity.
Chemical Properties of Cadmium
Cadmium is a bluish or silvery-white metal chemically similar to mercury and zinc. It's an element found in nature in its mineral form and sourced commercially from cadmium ore (greenockite), commonly found with zinc ore.
Cadmium is available as a chloride, oxide, and sulfide. It's present in small amounts in water, soil, air — and the food supply.
Much of the cadmium in the United States is extracted from copper, lead, and zinc production. Its common uses include batteries, metal coatings, plastics, and pigments.
Sources of Cadmium Exposure
Sources of cadmium exposure in the general population include:
- Food grown in contaminated soils
- Tobacco smoke
- Water
- Air
- Soil
- Pigments
- Some plastics
- Manufacturing of nickel-cadmium batteries, phosphate fertilizers, paint, jewelry, electronic plating, coatings, solar panels, etc.
- Smelting
- Demolition and construction jobs
- Incineration of municipal waste
- Welding
- Metal machining
- Soldering with cadmium alloys
- Fossil fuel combustion
- Paints
- Landfill operations
- Recycling jobs
- Waste collecting jobs
- Solar cells
- Ore mining or refining
- Volcanic activity
- Phosphate fertilizers
Some leading cadmium manufacturers include China, Japan, South Korea, and North America. An estimated 300,000 workers in the United States are exposed to cadmium.
Examples of food sources of cadmium in the United States include:
- Cereals and breads (34%)
- Leafy vegetables (20%)
- Potatoes (11%)
- Nuts and legumes (7%)
- Root and stem vegetables (6%)
- Fruits (5%)
- Seafood and shellfish
However, the FDA monitors and regulates levels of cadmium in the food supply to reduce the risk of unsafe levels.
Occupational exposure to cadmium can occur during producing products containing cadmium, such as batteries, pigments, alloys, and plastics. However, occupational exposures have decreased since the 1970s.
Mechanisms of Cadmium Toxicity
Cadmium is poisonous as it enters the human body, especially in high amounts.
How Cadmium Affects the Body
Cadmium is absorbed and distributed throughout the body after exposure. It's highly toxic, known to cause cancer, and targets the renal, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, reproductive, neurological, and respiratory systems.
This toxic metal damages healthy cells within the human body. It binds to mitochondria, inhibits specific cell functions, and causes chromosomal deletions and mutations. It has been shown to contribute to oxidative stress, dysfunction, and cell death.
Meanwhile, cadmium binds to albumin and alpha-2-macroglobulin in the bloodstream. It's distributed to and can build up in the kidney, liver, spleen, pancreas, lungs, heart, and testes.
Acute vs. Chronic Exposure
Cadmium exposure can lead to acute poisoning or chronic exposure over time. The type and length of exposure determine the symptoms someone with cadmium poisoning experiences. It's estimated that about 15% of acute cadmium poisoning cases are fatal.
Symptoms and Health Effects
The signs, symptoms, and health effects cadmium toxicity can cause are as follows.
Early Signs of Cadmium Poisoning
Early symptoms of acute cadmium poisoning include:
- Stomach irritation
- Abdominal cramping
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Vomiting
- Flu-like symptoms (muscle pain, fever, chills, etc.)
- Chest pain
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Respiratory distress via inhalation
- Lung inflammation
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
The exact symptoms experienced vary by the amount of cadmium you're exposed to, methods of exposure, and length of time exposed. In severe cases, death may occur within 3-5 days.
Long-Term Health Consequences
Longer-term health consequences linked to chronic cadmium poisoning include:
- Respiratory problems
- Lung diseases
- Nervous system issues
- Cancers (bladder, breast, kidney, lung, pancreatic, prostate)
- Liver issues
- Bone demineralization, bone pain, and fractures
- Sense of smell disturbances
- Impaired cognitive function
- Kidney dysfunction
- Reproductive problems
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Pulmonary edema
- Organ failure
- Parkinson's disease-like symptoms
Seek treatment at the first sign of heavy metal poisoning and protect yourself against toxic exposure.
Diagnosing Cadmium Poisoning
Diagnosing cadmium poisoning entails the following:
Medical Tests and Procedures
A medical history review, discussion of symptoms, and physical exam help diagnose cadmium poisoning. Blood and urine tests help measure cadmium levels within the body.
Cadmium blood tests can confirm acute cadmium poisoning, while urine tests are often the test of choice for patients with chronic cadmium exposure as they determine the total cadmium burden.
Consider a heavy metals panel and a micronutrient panel. Individuals at risk of chronic cadmium exposure should have regular urinary protein testing (beta-2-microglobulin).
Imaging studies help detect organ damage and other complications linked to cadmium toxicity.
Differential Diagnosis
Differential diagnoses should consider other metal toxicities caused by arsenic, lead, iron, mercury, and thallium, metal fume fever, other causes of lung problems, and comorbid conditions.
Treatment and Management
Managing cadmium toxicity requires prompt exposure recognition and interprofessional approaches for acute vs. long-term exposure.
Immediate Actions for Acute Exposure
Decontamination procedures and supportive care measures are vital after acute cadmium toxicity.
Airway management and supplemental oxygen are options for inhaled cadmium fumes, which pose a risk to the lungs. Gastric lavage and activated charcoal are treatment options for the ingestion of cadmium.
It's also essential to monitor patients for kidney and liver dysfunction and gastrointestinal injuries.
Long-Term Management Strategies
Long-term management strategies for cadmium toxicity include removal from the exposure source and routine screening since cadmium's effects on organs can be progressive and permanent. Chelation is not recommended.
Patients with jobs putting them at risk of chronic cadmium exposure need routine urine screening for proteinuria and lung cancer, as well as tests that assess reproductive, neurologic, heart, and bone health.
Integrative and Functional Approaches
Holistic medicine approaches do not replace conventional treatments but are essential in maintaining overall health and well-being after exposure to cadmium. It's vital to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and avoid smoking and other sources of cadmium.
Due to cadmium's effects on oxidative stress, getting plenty of antioxidants via foods and dietary supplements may be helpful. However, more studies are needed to confirm these effects in humans.
Micronutrients
Some research suggests micronutrient deficiencies may increase the body's absorption of heavy metals like lead and cadmium. Supplementation should be discussed with a healthcare provider. The following nutrients may offer protection against heavy metal toxicity:
Plant Foods
Researchers propose that consuming the following plant foods offers protection against cadmium toxicity:
- Soybeans
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Onions
- Green tea
- Grapes
- Curry leaf
- Berries
- Citrus fruits
- Royal jelly
- Algae (spirulina and chlorella)
- Tomatoes
Phytochemicals
Phytochemicals could also protect against cadmium poisoning. Research-based examples include:
- Quercetin
- Catechin
- Anthocyanin
- Curcumin
- Naringenin
- Puerarin
- γ-oryzanol
Patients should talk with their healthcare provider before taking dietary supplements.
Prevention and Public Health
Prevention and public health measures that help reduce the risk of cadmium poisoning include:
Reducing Environmental Cadmium
Enhanced regulatory measures and policies and maintaining industrial best practices can help reduce environmental cadmium exposure. Different countries have various regulatory standards for levels of cadmium allowed in foods and bottled drinking water.
Personal Prevention Strategies
Individuals at risk of cadmium exposure from occupational or environmental hazards should be aware of safe handling techniques and undergo routine medical monitoring — including diagnostic testing.
It's essential to consume plenty of vitamins, minerals, water, and phytochemicals and avoid smoking.
When eating fish, choose smaller varieties with lower amounts of heavy metal buildup. Have your water tested at home for heavy metals and filter your drinking water.
Community and Education Initiatives
Public awareness campaigns and educational programs in workplaces and schools can help communities be more aware of cadmium exposure risks in food, water supplies, hobby work, and specific manufacturing jobs — and learn ways to lessen the risk of poisoning.
Case Studies and Real-Life Examples
There are numerous stories and case studies of real-life cadmium poisoning incidents.
A notable incident of cadmium poisoning was in Japan in the 1950s near the Jinzu River, where a mine released a large amount of cadmium substance into the environment.
The incident caused rice grown in the area to create an epidemic of painful bone diseases, particularly among postmenopausal women.
Another incident occurred in China, where at least 26 people died (and hundreds more fell ill) who lived near a major chemical plant and industrial waste pile. Villagers died of cancer, and many children within the village were born with notable deformities.
Numerous case studies showcase the diagnosis and treatment of cadmium toxicity. One patient developed chronic cadmium toxicity from working in the silver jewelry industry.
His treatment involved avoiding further cadmium exposure, maintaining adequate hydration, undergoing bisphosphonate therapy for osteoporosis, and adding garlic to his diet.
Another case published in 1966 involved the accidental poisoning of five men exposed to cadmium fumes by cutting cadmium-plated bolts using an oxyacetylene burner in a poorly ventilated area. One of the cases was fatal due to severe lung and kidney damage.
More recently, a 2021 report by the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy reported high levels of cadmium (and other heavy metals) in baby foods sold in grocery stores.
Following this discovery, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an action plan to assess risks and set acceptable level standards for heavy metals in the food supply.
Lastly, cadmium content in volcanic soils often exceeds soil safety thresholds.
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Key Takeaways
- Cadmium poisoning may occur because of environmental exposure, manufacturing jobs (particularly electroplating and batteries), and construction jobs.
- Symptoms include gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms, neurological impairment, weakened bones, and organ damage. Chronic cadmium toxicity can also lead to cancer.
- Cadmium poisoning diagnosis involves blood and urine testing and imaging when necessary.
- Treatments vary and may consist of decontamination, support measures, gastric lavage, activated charcoal, respiratory care, nutrition, hydration, nutritional supplements, and routine medical monitoring and treatment for complications.
- Awareness and proactive measures in preventing cadmium toxicity are critical.
- Interested in learning more? Read our related articles, subscribe to our newsletter, and leave a comment with your experiences or questions below!
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