A Review on the Effects of Cadmium Toxicity on Living Beings (original) (raw)

A BRIEF REVIEW ON THE EFFECT OF CADMIUM TOXICITY: FROM CELLULAR TO ORGAN LEVEL

Cadmium is a heavy metal classified as a group one carcinogen by IARC (1993) affecting multiple systems in humans and animals. Exposure to cadmium occurs primarily through ingestion of contaminated water, food and to a significant extent through inhalation and cigarette smoking. Cadmium poisoning came into prominence with the infamous itai-itai disease of the 1960s in Japan after ingestion of cadmium-contaminated rice. Cadmium has a long biological halflife (20 yrs) and primarily affects the kidneys, liver and intestine, while a prolonged exposure has proven to be carcinogenic to liver, kidney, lung, prostate, hematopoietic and other systems. In this regard, cadmium has been classified as a carcinogen. Studies at the cellular level under in vitro conditions have shown that cadmium exhibits multifarious actions which are yet to be comprehensively explained or united by any particular mechanism. Generally it forces the expression of the stress proteins and depending on factors such as amount of exposure, time of exposure, the cell line and presence of other chemical species, the outcome could be apoptosis, growth inhibition, proliferation or carcinogenicity in animal cells. The mechanisms leading to cadmium carcinogenesis are primarily those involving oxidative stress, inhibition of DNA repair mechanisms and augmenting or diminishing the tendency to apoptosis.

The Effects of Cadmium Toxicity

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic non-essential transition metal that poses a health risk for both humans and animals. It is naturally occurring in the environment as a pollutant that is derived from agricultural and industrial sources. Exposure to cadmium primarily occurs through the ingestion of contaminated food and water and, to a significant extent, through inhalation and cigarette smoking. Cadmium accumulates in plants and animals with a long half-life of about 25–30 years. Epidemiological data suggest that occupational and environmental cadmium exposure may be related to various types of cancer, including breast, lung, prostate, nasopharynx, pancreas, and kidney cancers. It has been also demonstrated that environmental cadmium may be a risk factor for osteoporosis. The liver and kidneys are extremely sensitive to cadmium’s toxic effects. This may be due to the ability of these tissues to synthesize metallothioneins (MT), which are Cd-inducible proteins that protect the cell by tightly ...

Cadmium Toxicity in Nature Generates the Cancerous Problems

Pollution Research

A naturally occurring metal, cadmium is noticed in tiny amounts in a variety of sources such as food, water, soil, and the atmosphere. Cadmium may be edified in all soils and rocks, including coal and mineral fertilizers. In general, non-smoker people are getting affected by food contamination. The main theme of this paper is cancer activity by cadmium pollution of our environment. Foods are getting contaminated by industrial wastes. Wastes have Cd2+ ions which can bind with plant materials and also bind with animal muscles. On the other hand, the smoker people take the cadmium by smoking tobacco. The cadmium can easily bind up with the organs like the lung, prostate, breast, bone, etc. When industrial wastes are thrown into rivers, ponds, or open spaces, particularly in South Asian nations, the water becomes poisoned and the soil becomes deteriorated; as a result, the environment becomes more hazardous. In consequence, people can be oppressed by significant sicknesses that occurred...

A short overview about cadmium and its toxicity focused on humans, bioindicators and model organisms

Journal of survey in fisheries sciences, 2016

According to Paracelsus (1493-1541) everything from this planet is poison, only the dose makes the poison to be harmless. Even the essential elements for life support are toxic for all organisms in high amounts. Mercury, cadmium, metalloid arsenic and lead were responsible for poisoning and death of many humans and life forms from this planet for centuries. Cadmium forms different compounds that are used in industry for electroplating, pigments, plastic stabilizers, Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries, semiconductors, solar cells. According to literature, human's intake the highest amount of cadmium from cigarettes smoking and food. The level of cadmium in bird's bodies is important to analyze the environmental health. Birds are very sensitive to environmental changes and pollutants. This short overview investigated the pollution sources and pathways of cadmium within environment, its toxicity, symptoms and diseases focused on humans and other organisms. Some possible cure for humans' acute and chronic exposure to cadmium was searched in different studies.

Biological Effects of Human Exposure to Environmental Cadmium

Biomolecules

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal for the human organism and for all ecosystems. Cd is naturally found at low levels; however, higher amounts of Cd in the environment result from human activities as it spreads into the air and water in the form of micropollutants as a consequence of industrial processes, pollution, waste incineration, and electronic waste recycling. The human body has a limited ability to respond to Cd exposure since the metal does not undergo metabolic degradation into less toxic species and is only poorly excreted. The extremely long biological half-life of Cd essentially makes it a cumulative toxin; chronic exposure causes harmful effects from the metal stored in the organs. The present paper considers exposure and potential health concerns due to environmental cadmium. Exposure to Cd compounds is primarily associated with an elevated risk of lung, kidney, prostate, and pancreatic cancer. Cd has also been linked to cancers of the breast, urinary system, and bladder. ...

Environmental Toxicity of Cadmium and Health Effect

Journal of environmental protection and ecology

environmental toxicology examines the fate and effects of contaminants in the environment. exposures to heavy metals can affect human health both directly or indirectly by disrupting ecological systems that exist in rivers, lake, oceans, streams, wetlands, estuaries and other ecosystems. It is known that cadmium input to the aquatic environment through discharge of industrial waste, surface run off and deposition of cadmium also strongly absorbed onto sediments and soils. on the other hand, non-ferrous metal mines and human activities such as using phosphate fertilisers, burning coal, iron alloys, steel and cement and disposing household waste, represent a major source of cadmium release to the aquatic ecosystems. cadmium can easily entered into the body by food chain, drinking water, smoking a cigarette or even breathing the air. acute and chronic exposure to cadmium in both human and animals results in health diseases. Cadmium was classified as a potential human carcinogen under t...

Cadmium: Its extent of pollution and toxicosis - an animal perspective

Cadmium (Cd) is a potentially toxic to both humans and animals. Since, it does not have any detectable nutritional role in the biological system and because of its cumulative nature; its consumption even at the lower levels may affect the performance of animals in terms of production as well as immunity. Excess levels of Cd not only affect the animals health but, it adversely affect human health through consumption of meat/dairy product from these animals as some quantity of Cd is stored in edible tissues or secreted through milk. The present review focuses on the detailed overview of general perspective of Cd and its effect on hemato-biochemical parameters, immunity and oxidative stress indices.

Cadmium-induced cancers in animals and in humans

International journal of occupational and environmental health

Discovered in the early 1800s, the use of cadmium and various cadmium salts started to become industrially important near the close of the 19th century, rapidly thereafter began to flourish, yet has diminished more recently. Most cadmium used in the United States is a byproduct from the smelting of zinc, lead, or copper ores, and is used to manufacture batteries. Carcinogenic activity of cadmium was discovered first in animals and only subsequently in humans. Cadmium and cadmium compounds have been classified as known human carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the National Toxicology Program based on epidemiologic studies showing a causal association with lung cancer, and possibly prostate cancer, and studies in experimental animals, demonstrating that cadmium causes tumors at multiple tissue sites, by various routes of exposure, and in several species and strains. Epidemiologic studies published since these evaluations suggest that cadmium is also asso...

Cellular mechanisms of cadmium induced toxicity: a review

Cadmium is a widespread toxic pollutant of occupational and environmental concern because of its diverse toxic effects: extremely protracted biological half-life (approximately 20-30 years in humans), low rate of excretion from the body and storage predominantly in soft tissues (primarily, liver and kidneys). It is an extremely toxic element of continuing concern because environmental levels have risen steadily due to continued worldwide anthropogenic mobilization. Cadmium is absorbed in significant quantities from cigarette smoke, food, water and air contamination and is known to have numerous undesirable effects in both humans and animals. Cadmium has a diversity of toxic effects including nephrotoxicity, carcinogenicity, teratogenicity and endocrine and reproductive toxicities. At the cellular level, cadmium affects cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and other cellular activities. Current evidence suggests that exposure to cadmium induces genomic instability through complex and multifactorial mechanisms. Most important seems to be cadmium interaction with DNA repair mechanism, generation of reactive oxygen species and induction of apoptosis. In this article, we have reviewed recent developments and findings on cadmium toxicology.

Risk assessment of effects of cadmium on human health (IUPAC Technical Report)

Pure and Applied Chemistry, 2018

Chemistry and Human Health, Division VII of the International Union on Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), provides guidance on risk assessment methodology and, as appropriate, assessment of risks to human health from chemicals of exceptional toxicity. The aim of this document is to describe dose-response relationships for the health effects of low-level exposure to cadmium, in particular, with an emphasis on causation. The term "cadmium" in this document includes all chemical species of cadmium, as well as those in cadmium compounds. Diet is the main source of cadmium exposure in the general population. Smokers and workers in cadmium industries have additional exposure. Adverse effects have been shown in populations with high industrial or environmental exposures. Epidemiological studies in general populations have also reported statistically significant associations with a number of adverse health effects at low exposures. Cadmium is recognized as a human carcinogen, a classification mainly based on occupational studies of lung cancer. Other cancers have been reported, but dose-response relationships cannot be defined. Cardiovascular disease has been associated with cadmium exposure in recent epidemiological studies, but more evidence is needed in order to establish causality. Adequate evidence of dose-response relationships is available for kidney effects. There is a relationship between cadmium exposure and kidney effects in terms of low molecular mass (LMM) proteinuria. Long-term cadmium exposures with urine cadmium of 2 nmol mmol −1 creatinine cause such effects in a susceptible part of the population. Higher exposures result in increases in the size of these effects. This assessment is supported by toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic (TKTD) modelling. Associations between urine cadmium lower than 2 nmol mmol −1 creatinine and LMM proteinuria are influenced by confounding by co-excretion of cadmium with protein. A number of epidemiological studies, including some on low exposures, have reported statistically significant associations between cadmium exposure and bone demineralization and fracture risk. Exposures leading to urine cadmium of 5 nmol mmol −1 creatinine and more increase the risk of bone effects. Similar associations at much lower urine cadmium levels have been reported. However, complexities in the cause and effect relationship mean that a no-effect level cannot be Article note: Sponsoring body: Chemistry and Human Health Division: see more details on p. xxx. a IUPAC Task Group on Risk assessment of Effects of Cadmium on Human Health.