Cadmium toxicity
Background
- Used in electroplating, soldering, pigments, and plastics
- Routes of exposure:
- Inahlation
- Cigarette smoking, occupational exposure
- Gastrointestinal
- Cadmium is ubiquitous in food systems
- Total daily amount ingested is influenced by a variety of factors
- Reduced total body iron stores leads to upregulation of the gene that encodes for DMT1, a heavy metal transporter located on the luminal side of enterocytes. Consequently, more cadmium is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. [1]
- Inahlation
Mechanism of Toxicity
- Inhaled form is 60 times more toxic than ingested form
- Chemical pneumonitis
- Pulmonary edema/hemorrhage
- GI irritation
- Renal tubule damage
Clinical Features
- Local skin and eye irritation
- Cough, wheezing, pulmonary edema
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- Chronic exposure can lead to bone deposition and "itai-itai" disease
Differential Diagnosis
Evaluation
- History of exposure and respiratory / gastrointestinal complaints
Management
Inhalation
Ingestion
- Activated charcoal or lavage
- Volume resuscitation to counter fluid losses
- No role for hemodialysis
Disposition
See Also
References
Olson, K. Poisoning and Drug Overdose, 1999.
- ↑ Traub, S., & Elinder, C. (2017). Epidemiology and toxicity of cadmium. In G. Curhan (Ed.), UpToDate. UpToDate, Waltham, MA, (Accessed on February 22, 2018).