What is Cadmium and How Does it Potentially Affect our Health?

Cadmium is a heavy metal used as a stabilizer for PVC. It is also used in coatings and pigments in plastic and paint. This heavy metal is generally used because it is found to be corrosion resistant. With the exception of its use in nickel-cadmium batteries, the use of cadmium is generally thought to be decreasing in all other consumer products. This decrease is due to the high toxicity and carcinogenicity of cadmium and the associated health and environmental concerns.

Recently cadmium levels have become a topic of concern in some children’s products, especially in children’s metal jewelry. Twelve percent of the 103 items tested by the CPSC in 2010 from New York, Ohio, Texas and California contained at least 10 percent cadmium.

Cadmium is classified as a known human carcinogen, associated with lung and prostate cancer. Depending on the limits of exposure of this heavy metal, cadmium has been linked to developmental effects, including possible decreases in birth weight, delayed sensory-motor development, hormonal effects, and altered behaviors as found in studies conducted on animals. It has also been found to cause adverse health effects on the kidneys, lungs and intestines. Exposure to cadmium can happen through a child playing with toys and exposure can result in bone loss and increased blood pressure. Ingestion of high levels of cadmium can result in abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and death.

Currently in the United States, nineteen states limit cadmium in packaging materials.  Both the CPSIA (ASTM F963-08) and the state of California specify limits for the amount of soluble cadmium that can be in coatings of toys and other consumer products.  Check out toysafetyjen’s blog from February 1^st to learn more about the recently proposed ban on heavy metals in children’s jewelry.