Toxic effects of cadmium: A review

A review has been made of current knowledge, published and unpublished, relating to cadmium toxicity. The survey included worldwide epidemiology of the metal, distribution pattern in our environment, industrial production and uses, modes of incorporation into the human body, and possible significance of the metal with respect to metabolism. The findings revealed that cadmium is virtually ubiquitous, not only being deposited and accumulated in various body tissues, but found in varying concentrations throughout all environmental compartments (air, soil, food, and water) in which man must live. It appears that within the past two decades there has been increased industrial production and use of the metal. Concomitantly, there has been an increased incidence of both acute and chronic cases of clinically identifiable cadmiosis. Experimental evidence obtained under controlled laboratory conditions suggests that cadmium may function in or may be an etiological factor for various pathological processes including testicular tumors, renal dysfunction, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, growth inhibition, chronic diseases of old age, and cancer. In addition, it was reported that cadmium may result in hemorrhagic lesions in sensory ganglia within the central nervous system. A number of investigators found some toxic aspects of exogenously administered cadmium to be partially or even totally prevented by zine, cobalt, selenium, estrogen, British antilewisite (BAL) and thiol compounds.