Cadmium and Your Health - Free Information from EHSO

Cadmium and Health

Overview

Epidemiological studies of cadmium exposure by inhalation (workplace studies) provide evidence that cadmium, (long term exposure high doses) can cause lung cancer. For this reason cadmium is regarded as a human carcinogen, (IARC 1993) and this is the position expressed in the recent draft of the background document for cadmium for the next edition of the NIEHS (NTP) report on human carcinogens.

Evidence for the relationship between cadmium exposure and prostate cancer is much weaker and somewhat controversial.

Cadmium is regarded as a human carcinogen based largely on evidence for lung cancers from long-term inhalation of cadmium at high exposure levels. The relationship with prostate cancer is less clear.

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