Cadmium
CAS ID #: 7440-43-9
Affected Organ Systems: Cardiovascular (Heart and Blood Vessels), Developmental (effects during periods when organs are developing) , Gastrointestinal (Digestive), Neurological (Nervous System), Renal (Urinary System or Kidneys), Reproductive (Producing Children), Respiratory (From the Nose to the Lungs)
Cancer Classification: NTP: Known to be a human carcinogen. EPA: Probable human carcinogen. IARC: Carcinogenic to humans
Please contact NTP, IARC, or EPA’s IRIS Hotline with questions on cancer and cancer classification.
Chemical Classification: Inorganic substancesSummary: 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.
Community Members
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Summary about a hazardous substance taken from Chapter One of its respective ATSDR Toxicological Profile.
Provides an ongoing assessment of the exposure of the U.S. population to environmental chemicals using biomonitoring.
Between 1995 and 2008, private citizens petitioned ATSDR about health concerns related to chemicals in the city's air, water, and soil. The petitions focused on
- Chemicals released to soil from a former smelter;
- Chemicals released to air, soil, and water from two landfills;
- Chemicals released to air from refineries and petrochemical companies; and,
- Whether high birth-defect rates in the Corpus Christi area were in any way related to activities at area industrial sites, or to releases from those sites.
ATSDR and Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) are conducting an extensive review of environmental health concerns raised by the community members in Midlothian, Texas to determine if chemical releases from local industries could or have affected the health of persons and animals in the area.
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Quick reference guide providing information such as chemical and physical properties, sources of exposure, routes of exposure, minimal risk levels, children's health, and health effects for a substance.
The MRL is an estimate of the daily human exposure to a hazardous substance that is likely to be without appreciable risk of adverse, non-cancer health effects over a specified duration of exposure. The information in this MRL serves as a screening tool to help public health professionals decide where to look more closely to evaluate possible risk of adverse health effects from human exposure.
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- Page last reviewed: March 3, 2011
- Page last updated: March 3, 2011
- Content source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
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