Personal Injury Law

CADMIUM EXPOSURE - ARE YOU AT RISK?

By Megan Roth

At or near home sites, cadmium exposure can occur through industrial run-offs, insecticides, and even old galvanized pipes or other containers partially composed of cadmium.

To date, there is no known effective treatment for cadmium poisoning.

As mentioned in yesterday's post, cadmium is a heavy metal that can be toxic; in fact, it's one of the heavy metals most often implicated in human poisoning, which can occur through ingestion, inhalation, or absorption through the skin. Though such poisoning generally occurs in industrial worksites, it's becoming more prevalent in home sites.

How, you ask? At or near home sites, cadmium exposure can occur through industrial run-offs, insecticides, and even old galvanized pipes or other containers partially composed of cadmium. Just allowing your children to play outside in the dirt may cause exposure if the soil is contaminated.

The mineral, which is often found in combination with other elements, is often present in places you'd least expect it. Take your drinking water, for example. Most people assume the water streaming from their kitchen sink is safe to drink; however, they don't consider whether the pipes carrying that water are safe. Or how about your living room sofa? It's generally safe to assume your couch is, well, safe. But did you ever stop to consider whether the dyes used to create the beautiful pattern on your sofa are safe? What if that pattern was created using one of the many textile dyes that contains cadmium compounds? Is this exposure enough to be considered a risk?

Generally speaking, no. Exposure to the mineral is virtually impossible to avoid; as such, it's not the literal exposure that matters anyways, it's the degree and duration of the exposure that deserve attention.

Go back to the drinking water example. If you were to drink one glass of water from galvanized pipes (in which cadmium was present), it wouldn't kill you. However, if you were to drink one glass of water from those pipes every day, it just might.

Similarly, you won't fall ill just from walking across contaminated soil. Spend hours in that soil, though, and you'll never know which step could be your last. Or think about the workers in factories and mines where the toxin is present in alarming amounts. Many of these individuals who have been exposed to such levels of cadmium have experienced chronic renal injury. As a result, the OSHA has developed standards for monitoring cadmium exposure and requires medical surveillance for employees working in such conditions. Also, tests are frequently conducted in order to determine the levels of exposure and the risks of adverse effects.

Heavy metal poisoning (cadmium included) can be detected through blood, urine, and stool tests. A urine level in excess of 10 mcg of creatinine or a blood level greater than 5 mcg generally indicates cadmium toxicity.
Though various treatments can be used to counteract other heavy metal poisons (including detoxifying diets, nutritional supplements, and homeopathic remedies), none are relevant when it comes to cadmium.

To date, there is no known effective treatment for cadmium poisoning; thus, it is important to limit exposure to the heavy metal, which can be controlled through a variety of actions and preventative measures, including isolation of the source, use of ventilation systems, limited exposure time in harmful environments (such as industrial land sites), and personal protective equipment such as respirator protection and clothing.

Now, we don't expect you to wear respirator protection around your home; however, we do expect you to rid your home of all containers and products potentially containing cadmium. Yes, we know: some of those replacements can get a little pricey; however, it's your health at risk, not ours. What's it worth to you?

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on May 01, 2008 (boomark / email).