Mt genes are readily induced by various physiologic and toxicologic stimuli. Exposure to cadmium can affect the kidneys, lungs and bones. Cadmium is accumulated 5070% of body burden in the. It is most often encountered in the earths crust combined with chlorine cadmium chloride, oxygen cadmium oxide, and sulfur cadmium sulfide. Cadmium poisoning, toxic effects of cadmium or its compounds on body tissues and functions. Pure cadmium is a silverwhite, lustrous metal, but cadmium in this form is not common in the environment. Chronic cadmium poisoning from the consumption of food occurred in the 1950s in cadmiumpolluted areas in japan. Its serious toxicity moved into scientific focus during the middle of the last. It is widely distributed in humans, the chief sources of contamination being cigarette smoke, welding, and contaminated food and beverages. Evidence on developmental and reproductive toxicity of. In the liver, its production is sufficient to bind all cadmium accumulated.
Due to its low permissible exposure in humans, overexposure may occur even in situations where trace quantities of cadmium are found. Cigarette smoking is considered to be the most significant source of human cadmium exposure 4. Safe levels of cadmium intake to prevent renal toxicity in. Its serious toxicity moved into scientific focus during the middle of the last century.
Detoxification of cadmium with edta and other chelators is possible and. In attempts to determine the functions of mt, studies have been. Cadmium can be absorbed by the oral and inhalation routes of exposure. Specific health effects of a given hazardous compound are reported by type. Sep 10, 2006 cadmium cd has been in industrial use for a long period of time.
The atsdr toxicological profile succinctly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for the hazardous substance described here. Safety and health topics cadmium occupational safety and. It is generally present in the environment at low levels. B1 probable human carcinogen based on limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans guidelines for carcinogen risk assessment u.
It targets many systems of the body and can cause a multitude of different symptoms. The present investigation shows that resistivity is greater in case of airbreathing fishes as compared to non airbreathing fishes with regards to their duration of survival and growth when exposed to a cadmium containing environment. Most of the cadmium produced today is obtained from zinc byproducts and recovered from spent nickel cadmium batteries. Cadmium exposure contributes to internal organ dysfunction and the development of chronic diseases. Cadmium is a metal that can be found in the environment either in its elemental form or in a number of different salts. Absorption and retention of cadmium are known to be influenced by species, age, pregnancy, and by the adequacy of other components of the diet. Cadmium is an extremely dangerous heavy metal to humans, yet our environment is full of cadmium sources that we are subjected to everyday and this often leads to people having cadmium toxicity which is evident in the large number of cases of kidney, heart disease, osteomalacia softening of the bones and lung cancer that result from. Effects of cadmium on bioaccumulation, bioabsorption, and. Cadmium induced apoptosis involves two main pathways extrinsic pathway fas fadd caspase8 pathway initiated by ligand induced activation of the death receptors such as fas at the plasma membrane resulting in the activation of caspase8 or caspase10 intrinsic pathway triggered by cellular stress signals such as dna damage activating. Most of the cadmium produced today is obtained from zinc byproducts and recovered from spent nickelcadmium batteries. Cadmium toxicity occurs when high levels of the element are accumulated in. The highest concentration of cadmium is absorbed in the kidneys of humans, and up to about 30 mg of cadmium is commonly inhaled throughout human childhood and adolescence. There has been some controversy over the role of cadmiummt as a sequestering agent in the course of cadmiuminduced renal tubular toxicity, and also the sensitive site in the cell has not been identified.
Sep2010 7 1 executive summary 2 3 cadmium c d is a metal used in a variety of consumer and industrial materials with a 4 high percentage use d in the production of nickelcadmium batteries and in electroplating. Poisoning may result from the ingestion of an acid food or drink prepared in a cadmiumlined vessel e. Cadmium contamination of the environment is especially severe in the vicinity of smelters and urban industrialized areas. Cadmium is toxic at very low exposure levels and has acute and chronic effects on health and environment. The metallothioneinbound cadmium is released from the liver into. Cadmium is a heavy metal of considerable toxicity with destructive impact on most organ systems. May 12, 2008 this led to a hypothesis that cadmium exposure in humans might be related to hypertension. Cadmium is a heavy metal with many uses, including the manufacture of rechargeable batteries. Some of these heavy metals such as copper, cobalt, iron, nickel, magnesium, molybdenum, chromium, selenium, manganese and zinc have functional roles which are essential for various diverse.
Cadmium is absorbed in significant quantities from cigarette smoke, food, water and air contamination and is known to have numerous undesirable effects in both humans and animals. Effects on human health humans are exposed to cadmium by inhalation and ingestion although the main health impacts recorded in the literature are through dietary exposure kidney and bone damage and inhalation from smoking tobacco and occupational exposure lung damage. Safety and health topics cadmium occupational safety. An update abstract cadmium poisoning has been reported from many parts of the world. Sep2010 7 1 executive summary 2 3 cadmium c d is a metal used in a variety of consumer and industrial materials with a 4 high percentage use d in the production of nickel cadmium batteries and in electroplating.
The cadmibel study, a prospective population study looking at the health effects of lowlevel environmental exposure to cadmium in the general population, found no effect of cadmium on the blood pressure of study. Cadmium poisoning an overview sciencedirect topics. Cadmium compounds a hazard summary the main sources of cadmium in the air are the burning of fossil fuels such as coal or oil and the incineration of municipal waste. New releases add to the already existing deposits of cadmium in the environment. The aim of the study was to assess the alleviating effect of. Mechanism and health effects of heavy metal toxicity in humans.
While the acute toxicity of cd was discovered as early as in 19th century5, the possibility that this metal could cause chronic effects in humans was recognized. Cadmium induced apoptosis involves two main pathways. Most cadmium used in the united states is extracted during the production of other metals like. Evidence on developmental and reproductive toxicity of cadmium. Blood and urine tests can measure the amount of cadmium present in the body. Cadmium has been used in nickelcadmium battery, as a pigment in paint. Toxicological profile for cadmium agency for toxic substances. It is one of the global health problems that affect many organs and in some cases it can cause deaths annually. Cadmium toxicity almost always goes undetected by most traditional physicians.
Toxic impacts are discussed and appear to be proportional to body burden of cadmium. Among these heavy metals, a few have direct or indirect impact on the human body. Chronic, lowlevel cadmium exposure can affect a variety of organs, with the kidneys and bones being the principal targets. Cadmium is a heavy metal that is incredibly toxic to the human body and everpresent in our environment. Pdf cadmium is a heavy metal of considerable toxicity with destructive impact on most organ systems. Cadmiuminduced apoptosis involves two main pathways extrinsic pathway fas fadd caspase8 pathway initiated by ligand induced activation of the death receptors such as fas at the plasma membrane resulting in the activation of caspase8 or caspase10 intrinsic pathway triggered by cellular stress signals such as dna damage. Cadmium cd has been in industrial use for a long period of time. Cadmium cd is a metal that can cause severe acute or chronic toxicity in humans. Cadmium is a naturally occurring toxic metal with common exposure in industrial workplaces, plant soils, and from smoking. Cadmium is under preliminary research for its toxicity in humans, potentially affecting mechanisms and risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis. Several heavy metals are found naturally in the earth crust and are exploited for various industrial and economic purposes. Cadmium is used extensively in electroplating, although the nature of the operation does not generally lead to overexposure. Cadmium can be ingested by eating shellfish, liver, and kidney meats, and fish that live in cadmium exposed water.
It is often associated with lead, copper, and zinc ores. Like all metals, cadmium can move from one environmental compartment to. It is widely distributed in humans, the chief sources of contamination being cigarette smoke. Accordingly, human exposure to cd compounds may create a serious health problem. Like all metals, cadmium can move from one environmental compartment to another e. Cadmium is widely distributed in the body bound mainly to red blood cells or high molecular weight proteins in the plasma. Cadmiummt injection has frequently been used as a model to study several features of nephrotoxicity seen in longterm exposure to cadmium. Cadmium as a toxic element might be a stressor agent for fish.
It is this reactive cadmium ion that contributes to renal tubular toxicity while accumulating in the cortex of the kidney. All soils and rocks, including coal and mineral fertilizers, contain some cadmium. Epa, 1986 limited evidence from occupational epidemiologic studies of cadmium is consistent across investigators and study populations. Cadmium cd is unique among metals because of its diverse toxic effects, extremely protracted biological halflife approximately 2030 years in humans, low rate of excretion from the body. Cadmium enters in air and bind to small particles where it can combine. Cadmium is a very important industrial metal, but exposure to it results in accumulation in the food chain, leading to toxicity in animals and humans, says project leader dr christopher mcdevitt. Acute cadmium poisoning is rare but gastrointestinal symptoms have been described after consuming food or drinks contaminated by cadmium from cooking utensils, solders in water pipes. Introduction encountered in earths crust combined with chlorine cdcl2, oxygen cdo,sulphur cds exists as small particles in air, result of smelting, soldering or other high temp.
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. Pdf the characteristics, toxicity and effects of cadmium. Chronic inhalation and oral exposure of humans to cadmium results in a buildup of cadmium in the kidneys that can cause kidney disease, including proteinuria, a decrease in glomerular filtration rate, and. What marine recruits go through in boot camp earning the title making marines on parris island duration. Cadmium cd is a soft, malleable, bluish white metal found in zinc ores, and to a much lesser extent, in the cadmium mineral greenockite. Most cases of cadmium toxicity are due to chronic exposure.
Dissolved cadmium and its compounds are toxic to humans, wildlife, and especially aquatic biota, at low concentrations. Cadmium is considered to have high acute toxicity, based on shortterm animal tests in rats. Cadmium is not degradable in nature and will thus, once released to the environment, stay in circulation. Of all nonessential heavy metals, cadmium cd is perhaps the metal that has attracted the most attention in soil science and plant nutrition due to its potential toxicity to humans, and also its relative mobility in the soilplant system. Presented byshashi shekhar singh ses,jnu new delhi 2. Dietary intake accounts for 90% of all exposure in nonsmokers. Cadmium exerts toxic effects on the kidney, the skeletal system and the respiratory system and is classified as a human carcinogen. Cadmiuminduced apoptosis involves two main pathways. Various forms of cadmium poisoning have been documented in the literature. Because the cysteines in mt are absolutely conserved across species, it was suspected that the cysteines are necessary for function and mt is essential for life.
Mar 04, 2015 cadmium is a very important industrial metal, but exposure to it results in accumulation in the food chain, leading to toxicity in animals and humans, says project leader dr christopher mcdevitt. It is 5 also in pigments used in plastics, ceramics and glasses and is used as a stabilizer for polyvinyl 6. The acute shortterm effects of cadmium in humans through inhalation exposure consist mainly of effects on the lung, such as pulmonary irritation. Acute poisoning, depending on the mode of exposure, can cause lifethreatening respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms in the absence of immediate supportive therapy, while chronic toxicity, mostly through occupational exposure may lead to renal failure, osteomalacia and increase the risk for cardiovascular disease.
Cadmium is a heavy metal that is produced during the smelting of. Cadmium may enter drinking water sources naturally leaching from soil, as a result of human activities as a. This led to a hypothesis that cadmium exposure in humans might be related to hypertension. This edition supersedes any previously released draft or final profile. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and prostration usually occur within 15 minutes after ingestion and subside within 24 hours. Cadmium from industrial effluents pollutes sea and river water and hence may effect the fish population therein. Heavy metals essentially mercury, cadmium and lead are toxic elements that can be assimilated, stored and accumulated by organisms, through the food chain, resulting in physiological damage pigott and tucker, 1990. From toxicity to essentiality astrid sigel springer. Toxicological profile for cadmium agency for toxic. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and prostration usually. There is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in rats and mice by. Smokers will have around twice as much cadmium in their body as nonsmokers due to traces of cadmium in tobacco plants. Cadmium has a diversity of toxic effects including nephrotoxicity, carcinogenicity, teratogenicity and endocrine and reproductive toxicities. From toxicity to essentiality, mils11 provides in an authoritative and timely manner in 16 stimulating chapters, written by 40 internationally recognized experts from 11 nations, and supported by more than 2600 references, 35 tables, and over 100 illustrations, many in color, a most uptodate view on the role of cadmium for life, presently a vibrant research area.
A toxicological profile for cadmium, draft for public comment was released in september 2008. The acute shortterm effects of cadmium in humans through inhalation. Metallothioneins mt are lowmolecularweight, cysteinerich, metalbinding proteins. The environmental fate and the toxicity of cadmium calls for a global initiative aimed at minimising human and environmental consequences of.
However, most cadmium toxicity occurs from industrial exposure. Poisoning may result from the ingestion of an acid food or drink prepared in a cadmium lined vessel e. Longterm exposure to cadmium through air, water, soil, and food leads to cancer and. Palmiter, rd 1998 the elusive function of metallothioneins. Humans are commonly exposed to cadmium by inhalation and ingestion. First discovered in germany in 1817, cadmium found early use as a pigment because of its. The toxicity of cadmium and resulting hazards for human health. In light of the long halflife of cadmium in humans, the committee decided to express the tolerable intake as a monthly value.