Cadmium is an element which, due to its high concentration in air, soil and food, easy absorption by living organisms and strong toxicity, poses a serious threat to human he alth. Cadmium poisoning can damage the kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas and testes. What are the symptoms of cadmium poisoning?
Contents:
- Cadmium - acute cadmium poisoning
- Cadmium - chronic cadmium poisoning
- Cadmium - harmfulness
- Cadmium - pathways of penetration
- Cadmium in food
Cadmiumbelongs to the chemical elements of the group of transition metals. It is relatively sparsely distributed in nature, but due to human activity it has become one of the greatest sources of environmental pollution.
It is used in various industries. Cadmium is used in the production of dyes and stabilizers of plastics, in the production of fireworks, alkaline batteries and fluorescent paints.
Cadmium is also found in fertilizers, so high levels of cadmium are found in the air, water, soil, plants and animal tissues. Once introduced into the environment, it is not subject to degradation and remains in constant circulation, which increases the risk of absorption of this toxic element by humans.
Cadmium - acute cadmium poisoning
In adults, the safe limit for cadmium intake is 51-71 micrograms per day. Due to its concentration in air, water, soil and food, as well as easy absorption and bioaccumulation in the body, cadmium poisoning may occur.
In the human body, cadmium accumulates primarily in the liver and kidneys, but it also damages bones and testicles.
Acute cadmium poisoning, which is related to a single absorption of a high dose of a toxic element, occurs quite rarely. But, unfortunately, it happens to people who work at the risk of inhaling cadmium.
A symptom of acute cadmium poisoning is high fever and general weakness that appear after a day. The poisoned person's breathing becomes shallow, and sometimes there is also pulmonary edema or pneumonia.
In severe cases, there is respiratory failure and death.
Cadmium - chronic cadmium poisoning
The long-term effect of cadmium on the human body leads tochronic poisoning. For many months, poisoning does not give any noticeable symptoms. After a silent period of poisoning, characteristic symptoms appear, which include:
- dry mouth
- metallic taste in the mouth
- anorexic
- yellow border at the root of the teeth
- general weakness
Cadmium - harmfulness
Cadmium, even at very low concentrations in the human body, is a highly toxic element.
Progressive poisoning, due to cadmium toxicity, results in intestinal, kidney and liver damage, bone decalcification and changes in the skeletal system (the effect of disturbed calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and copper metabolism) and anemia.
Sometimes it can also cause neoplastic changes, especially kidney cancer and prostate cancer, which is probably associated with triggering an inflammatory reaction in them.
Cadmium poisoning by inhalation leads to the development of a respiratory distress syndrome (pharyngitis and laryngitis, emphysema, edema and pneumonia).
Cadmium also adversely affects the functions of the male reproductive system, because it impairs the function of the testicles, disrupts the functioning of the prostate gland, which leads to changes in its hormonal and secretory functions.
Cadmium also affects fertility.
Cadmium - pathways of penetration
The element enters the human body through various routes, primarily through the respiratory tract.
The source of a toxic element can be:
- vapors inhaled in the workplace
- street fumes
- smog
- tobacco smoke
After smoking one cigarette, about 0.1-0.2 micrograms of cadmium passes into the body. About 20 years of being stuck in a toxic addiction, a person consumes about 15 milligrams of dangerous compounds.
It has also been observed that the milk of smoking mothers may contain twice as much cadmium as the milk of non-smoking mothers.
The ingestion of cadmium through the alimentary tract is lower. It depends not only on the dose and time of exposure to the element, but also on the chemical form, dietary components, nutritional status of the organism, age and gender.
The penetration of cadmium into the body is also influenced by the composition of our diet. When we consume little protein, zinc and copper compounds, as well as calcium and iron, the absorption of cadmium from the gastrointestinal tract and its accumulation in the body increases.
Cadmium in food
A big problem of the modern world is the high cadmium content in food.
Its significant sources are contaminated grain products, fish, vegetables and fruits.
Cadmium in soil causes many popular root crops, especially potatoes and carrots, to become the carrier of the toxic element.
Metal also accumulates in the ground parts of some vegetables, e.g. on spinach and lettuce leaves.
Large amounts of it can be found in peanuts, cereals and rice.
The ability to accumulate cadmium is also demonstrated by fungi, molluscs, oysters and crustaceans.
High levels of cadmium are found in animal offal (liver, kidneys), and lower in fruit, milk and dairy products.
Drinking water is safe, as its cadmium content usually does not exceed harmful doses. But a lot can change when waste from farms or production plants ends up in the water.
About the author
Anna Jarosz A journalist who has been involved in popularizing he alth education for over 40 years. Winner of many competitions for journalists dealing with medicine and he alth. She received, among others The "Golden OTIS" Trust Award in the "Media and He alth" category, St. Kamil awarded on the occasion of the World Day of the Sick, twice the "Crystal Pen" in the national competition for journalists promoting he alth, and many awards and distinctions in competitions for the "Medical Journalist of the Year" organized by the Polish Association of Journalists for He alth.
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