Cadmium Sources and Toxicity

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental toxicant of continuing public health concern worldwide because total diet studies have shown that Cd is present in virtually all foodstuffs. Consequently foods that are frequently consumed in large quantities such as rice potatoes wheat leafy salad vegetables and other cereal crops are the most significant dietary Cd sources. Moreover Cd has chemical propensities that confer the potential to interfere with the physiological functions of calcium and zinc. Evidence of a wide range of diverse toxic effects of Cd is increasingly apparent. In this collection environmental Cd exposure is linked to an increased risk of chronic kidney disease that is known to be a cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Cd is also implicated in an early onset of menarche and deaths from cancer especially in the uterus kidney and urinary tract. Moreover Cd-induced kidney injury is replicated in Sprague Dawley rats as is Cd-induced periodontal disease. Experimental studies suggest that the development of kidneys in fetuses and the function of insulin-producing cells may be adversely affected by Cd and that metformin an anti-diabetic drug is ineffective in Cd-intoxicated Wistar rats.