| Cadmium is a lustrous, silvery-white, ductile, very | | | | cadmium uptake by plants. This is a potential |
| malleable metal. Its surface has a bluish tinge and | | | | danger to the animals that are dependent upon |
| the metal is soft enough to be cut with a knife, | | | | the plants for survival. Cadmium can accumulate in |
| but it tarnishes in air. It is soluble in acids but not in | | | | their bodies, especially when they eat multiple |
| alkalis. It is similar in many respects to zinc but it | | | | plants. Cows may have large amounts of |
| forms more complex compounds. About | | | | cadmium in their kidneys due to this. Earthworms |
| three-fourths of cadmium is used in Ni-Cd | | | | and other essential soil organisms are extremely |
| batteries, most of the remaining one-fourth is | | | | susceptive to cadmium poisoning. They can die at |
| used mainly for pigments, coatings and plating, and | | | | very low concentrations and this has |
| as stabilizers for plastics. Cadmium has been used | | | | consequences for the soil structure. When |
| particularly to electroplate steel where a film of | | | | cadmium concentrations in soils are high they can |
| cadmium only 0.05 mm thick will provide complete | | | | influence soil processes of microorganisms and |
| protection against the sea. Cadmium has the | | | | threat the whole soil ecosystem. In aquatic |
| ability to absorb neutrons, so it is used as a | | | | ecosystems cadmium can bio accumulate in |
| barrier to control nuclear fission. | | | | mussels, oysters, shrimps, lobsters and fish. The |
| Cadmium can mainly be found in the earth's crust. | | | | susceptibility to cadmium can vary greatly |
| It always occurs in combination with some | | | | between aquatic organisms. Salt-water organisms |
| offensive metals and consists in the industries as | | | | are known to be more resistant to cadmium |
| their inevitable by-products. After being applied it | | | | poisoning than freshwater organisms. Animals |
| enters the environment mainly through the | | | | eating or drinking cadmium sometimes get high |
| ground, because it is found in manures and | | | | blood-pressures, liver disease and nerve or brain |
| pesticides. Naturally a very large amount of | | | | damage. |
| cadmium is released into the environment. About | | | | Â |
| half of this cadmium is released into rivers through | | | | Human uptake of cadmium takes place mainly |
| weathering of rocks and some cadmium is | | | | through food. Foodstuffs that are rich in cadmium |
| released into air through forest fires and | | | | can greatly increase the cadmium concentration in |
| volcanoes. The rest of the cadmium is released | | | | human bodies. Examples are liver, mushrooms, |
| through human activities, such as manufacturing. | | | | shellfish, mussels, cocoa powder and dried |
| No cadmium ore is mined for the metal, because | | | | seaweed. An exposure to significantly higher |
| more than enough is produced as a byproduct of | | | | cadmium levels occurs when people smoke. |
| the smelting of zinc from its ore, sphalerite (ZnS), | | | | Tobacco smoke transports cadmium into the |
| in which CdS is a significant impurity, making up as | | | | lungs. Blood will transport it through the rest of |
| much as 3%. Consequently, the main mining areas | | | | the body where it can increase effects by |
| are those associated with zinc. Â | | | | potentiating cadmium that is already present from |
| Cadmium waste streams from the industries | | | | cadmium-rich food. Other high exposures can |
| mainly end up in soils. The causes of these waste | | | | occur with people who live near hazardous waste |
| streams are for instance zinc production, | | | | sites or factories that release cadmium into the |
| phosphate ore implication and bio industrial manure. | | | | air and people that work in the metal refinery |
| Cadmium waste streams may also enter the air | | | | industry. When people breathe in cadmium it can |
| through (household) waste combustion and burning | | | | severely damage the lungs. This may even cause |
| of fossil fuels. Because of regulations only little | | | | death. |
| cadmium now enters the water through disposal | | | | Cadmium is first transported to the liver through |
| of wastewater from households or industries. | | | | the blood. There, it is bond to proteins to form |
| Another important source of cadmium emission is | | | | complexes that are transported to the kidneys. |
| the production of artificial phosphate fertilizers. | | | | Cadmium accumulates in kidneys, where it |
| Part of the cadmium ends up in the soil after the | | | | damages filtering mechanisms. This causes the |
| fertilizer is applied on farmland and the rest of the | | | | excretion of essential proteins and sugars from |
| cadmium ends up in surface waters when waste | | | | the body and further kidney damage. It takes a |
| from fertilizer productions is dumped by | | | | very long time before cadmium that has |
| production companies. Cadmium can be | | | | accumulated in kidneys is excreted from a human |
| transported over great distances when it is | | | | body. Other health effects that can be caused by |
| absorbed by sludge. This cadmium-rich sludge can | | | | cadmium are: diarrhoea, stomach pains and |
| pollute surface waters as well as soils. | | | | severe vomiting, bone fracture, reproductive |
| Cadmium is strongly adsorbed to organic matter | | | | failure and possibly even infertility, damage to the |
| in soils. When cadmium is present in soils it can be | | | | central nervous system, damage to the immune |
| extremely dangerous, as the uptake through food | | | | system, psychological disorders, and - Possibly |
| will increase. Soils that are acidified enhance the | | | | DNA damage or cancer development. |