What Is Cadmium, and How Are You Exposed to It?
Cadmium is a natural element in the earth’s crust, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Most cadmium used in the US is extracted during the production of other metals like zinc, lead and copper, and it is used in batteries, pigments, metal coatings and plastics.
ATSDR says exposure happens mostly in the workplace where cadmium products are made, while the general population is exposed from breathing cigarette smoke or eating cadmium-contaminated foods. Low levels are found in all foods, with the highest levels in shellfish, liver and kidney meats. Cadmium does not break down in the environment, and fish, plants and animals take it up.
ATSDR says cadmium damages the kidneys, lungs and bones. Breathing high levels can severely damage the lungs, and long-term exposure to lower levels in air, food or water leads to a buildup of cadmium in the kidneys and possible kidney disease, along with lung damage and fragile bones. The US Department of Health and Human Services has determined that cadmium and cadmium compounds are known human carcinogens. Cadmium can be measured in blood or urine, and ATSDR says urine shows both recent and past exposure.
Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.
The sources behind this answer
- Government sourceATSDR says cadmium is a natural element in the earth’s crust, that most cadmium used in the US is extracted during production of zinc, lead and copper, and that it is used in batteries, pigments, metal coatings and plastics. ATSDR, CDC ↗
- Government sourceATSDR says exposure to cadmium happens mostly in the workplace where cadmium products are made, and that the general population is exposed from breathing cigarette smoke or eating cadmium-contaminated foods. ATSDR, CDC ↗
- Government sourceATSDR says low levels of cadmium are found in all foods, with the highest levels in shellfish, liver and kidney meats. ATSDR, CDC ↗
- Government sourceATSDR says long-term exposure to lower levels of cadmium in air, food or water leads to a buildup in the kidneys and possible kidney disease, with lung damage and fragile bones as other long-term effects. ATSDR, CDC ↗
- Government sourceThe US Department of Health and Human Services has determined that cadmium and cadmium compounds are known human carcinogens, ATSDR says. ATSDR, CDC ↗
- Government sourceATSDR says cadmium can be measured in blood, urine, hair or nails, that blood shows recent exposure, and that urine shows both recent and past exposure. ATSDR, CDC ↗
Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.