Environmental Exposure to Cadmium: Health Risk Assessment and its Associations with Hypertension and Impaired Kidney Function

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal. This study was aimed to estimate the potential health risks in a Cd-polluted district in China, and examine the relationship between urinary cadmium(UCd) and hypertension and impaired kidney function at low exposure levels (UCd: GM 1.3 μg/g creatinine). Blood pressure measurement, questionnaires, and collection of urinary samples were conducted from 217 residents. Environmental samples, food, and cigarette samples were collected and detected to estimate the risks posed by Cd and the contribution of inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact pathways to these risks. A logistic regression model was used in examining associations between exposure and hypertension and impaired kidney function. Results show that this population is at high risk. For non-smokers, incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) and hazard quotient (HQ) are 1.74E-04 and 2.96, and for smokers, they are 1.07E-03 and 52.5, respectively. Among all exposure pathways, smoking and foods cause the major increases in ILCR and HQ. UCd is significantly associated with hypertension (odds ratio (OR) = 1.468; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.104, 1.953; P = 0.008) and impaired kidney function (OR = 1.902, 95% CI: 1.054, 3.432; P = 0.033). The results demonstrate that Cd can potentially lead to adverse health effects.

Health Risk Assessment and Source Apportionment of Mercury, Lead, Cadmium, Selenium, and Manganese in Japanese Women: An Adjunct Study to the Japan Environment and Children’s Study

“…For example, elevated levels of mercury (Hg) are related to neurological and renal damage [8]; particularly, increased methylmercury concentrations in cord blood have been associated with neurobehavioral and neurodevelopmental deficits in children, due to contamination of fish with methylmercury [9][10][11]. Excess cadmium (Cd) intake can cause kidney disease and hypertension [12,13], and excess lead (Pb) intake is linked to sterility, abortion, stillbirth, and neonatal morbidity, mortality and neurodevelopmental deficits via in utero and/or current exposure [14]. Considering the significant health risks from toxic metals, some international bodies, such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and the European Commission, have developed guidelines on the intake of toxic metals by humans [15,16].…”

Associations between Cadmium Exposure and Taste and Smell Dysfunction: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2011–2014

“…Cadmium is a widely distributed environmental pollutant which has been associated with various negative health outcomes, including hypertension [22], renal cancer [23], prostate cancer [24], and cognitive function [25]. Major sources of cadmium exposure in the environment are soil, waste water, vegetables, and tobacco [26][27][28][29].…”

Polysaccharides from Phormidium versicolor (NCC466) protecting HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells and rat liver tissues from cadmium toxicity: Evidence from in vitro and in vivo tests

“…Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most widespread toxic metals in the aquatic and terrestrial environments [1,2], and commonly detected in industrial and agriculture production and commodities [2]. Long term exposure to Cd is considered to be harmful to human health [3,4].…”