Personal Injury Law

You've been exposed to Cadmium - now what?

By Megan Roth

Cadmium poisoning and how to effectively treat it is a conundrum.

Alright, let's say you've done everything we recommended in order to prevent cadmium poisoning. You've altered your diet to include a well-balanced mix of all major food groups, you've replaced your rusty, out-dated pipes, and you've stopped smoking (cold turkey, of course). So now there's no risk of cadmium exposure, right? Wishful thinking. Though you've decreased your risk, there's no way to completely eliminate it. Let's pretend that, one way or another; you've been exposed to the toxin. How do you know you've been exposed and how should you react?

First and foremost, you should know the symptoms of cadmium poisoning, which adversely affects respiratory and kidney functions. Anytime cadmium exposure is suspected or symptoms resemble those of cadmium poisoning, seek medical attention; there's no effective treatment for the poison, so it's important to diagnose it and begin work against it right away.

If you've been exposed to the toxin, immediately remove yourself from the environment in which exposure has occurred and administer oxygen. If exposure occurred through the ingestion of cadmium salts, induce vomiting ASAP; as happens when any toxin is ingested, our bodies react naturally as a means of warding off the harmful substance. The easiest way to eliminate this is to rid the body of the toxin, through whatever means necessary.

It's important to note that, to date, no treatment has been proven effective for cadmium poisoning. As a result, exposure to the toxin must be treated symptomatically. For example, cadmium poisoning often causes headaches, chest pains, muscle aches, coughing and fevers; though they may not be cured, each of these symptoms can be lessened with the use of over-the-counter medications.

Similarly, one who's experiencing the common symptoms of dizziness and fatigue will no doubt benefit from the ever-popular doctors' recommendation to get a little R&R - yup, you guessed it: rest and relaxation. While having an excuse to curl up on the couch without feeling guilty may seem nice, it'll undoubtedly get old when you have to do it day after day because your symptoms aren't going away.

This is the major problem: there may be means of providing temporary relief from symptoms of cadmium poisoning, but they are just that: temporary. The effects of cadmium poisoning will not go away and, in the long-term, they will not get better. Thus, it is essential to avoid exposure to the harmful element at all costs (regardless of how expensive they may be).

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on May 04, 2008 (boomark / email).