Cadmium is a mineral that is used for a variety of different industrial purposes and is considered to be highly toxic. Exposure to cadmium usually happens in a work setting, although people can be exposed to harmful amounts of the substance by means of contaminated water, food, soil, and even through cigarette smoke. An industrial setting where ore is smelted or processed presents the most risk of cadmium exposure. There are many different health risks from cadmium including cancer, and potentially death.
If you or someone you know has suffered health consequences by being exposed to cadmium, it may be possible for you to obtain compensation for your damages as well as pain and suffering by filing a lawsuit. You should contact a personal injury attorney promptly so that your case can be evaluated, and your claim can be started.
What exactly is Cadmium?
As previously stated, cadmium is a natural mineral that is harvested from the earth. It is often found in combination with other natural elements such as sulfate, cadmium oxide, sulfide, and chloride. Since the mineral is quite resilient to corrosion, it is often used when producing plastics, metal coatings, pigments, and batteries. The majority of cadmium used in the United States is used to manufacture metals including zinc, copper, and lead.
Who is the most prone to harmful cadmium exposure?
Those who work in an industrial setting have the most risk of becoming injured or ill from exposure to cadmium while on the job. Recent data provided by the National Occupational Hazard Survey found that as many as one and a half million workers may be exposed to cadmium. Those who are at the highest risk include those who work in the following occupations: welding; auto body repair; ore smelting; maintaining, servicing, or repairing air craft; battery manufacturing; ship building or repairing; electroplating; phosphate fertilizer production; removing industrial paint by blasting or scraping; refurbishing or repairing gas meters; using or manufacturing industrial paints; drying or calcinations of cadmium pigments; and stabilizing plastics by using powdered cadmium oxide, or producing cadmium soaps.
In addition to those working in these industries, the population at large could also be exposed to harmful levels of cadmium if drinking water has been contaminated, if food sources have been contaminated, or by inhaling smoke from cigarettes.
Are there other ways to be exposed to cadmium?
Fume and dust particles from cadmium can contaminate the air through industrial processing. Breathing in this air is the most common way people become ill from cadmium exposure. Cadmium, as previously stated, can also contaminate soil and water from the hazardous waste from industrial sites. There it can be absorbed into the bodies of animals and fish, and when eaten by humans, illness and injury can occur. This is particularly true for liver meats, kidneys, shell fish and foods that are artificially colored. Cigarette smoke contains high amounts of cadmium and can double the amount of daily exposure to the substance.
What health hazards can occur from cadmium exposure?
Because cadmium is so toxic, there are very serious health issues that can arise from exposure, some of which can be fatal. Here are just a few of the health complications that can arise from exposure:
Serious damage to the lungs: inhaling large amounts of air contaminated by cadmium or low amounts over a long period of time can lead to serious lung damage, which can be fatal.
Kidney disease and kidney damage: long term exposure to even small amounts of cadmium can cause significant damage to the kidneys as well as kidney disease.
Damage to the gastrointestinal tract: consuming foods or water with high amounts of cadmium can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and other stomach upsets.
Cancer: The United States Department of Health and Human Services has found that there is an increased risk of cancer due to cadmium exposure.
Birth defects: While it is not completely clear that cadmium causes birth defects, what is known is that it can cross the placenta, and has been found in breast milk of mothers who have been exposed to the substance. This can lead to developmental, behavioral, and cognitive birth defects in newborns. It has also attributed to low birth weight.
Various other affects: These include damage to bones, brain damage, nerve damage, liver disease, and high blood pressure.
What do I do if I suspect I have been exposed to cadmium?
There are certain medical tests that can be administered to test if you have been exposed to cadmium. Blood tests are quite effective to test for recent exposure, and urine tests can test for recent and past exposure. Nail and hair tests can also be conducted however the results are not as conclusive.
Cadmium can stay in the body for quite a while and can build up over the course of years of even low level exposure.
Because of the dangers of cadmium, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) all have regulations in place to help limit exposure.
The EPA places cadmium level limits on drinking water to no more than five parts per billion, and it is no longer allowed at all in fertilizer. OSHA limits workplace air to have no more than one hundred micrograms per cubic meter, and fumes can be no more than two hundred micrograms per cubic meter. The FDA limits cadmium levels in food colorings to no more than fifteen parts per million.
If you or someone you know has become ill or died because of being exposed to cadmium, you may be entitled to seek compensation for your damages, as well as pain and suffering. Those who can be held accountable for the hazardous exposure can include, but are not limited to, industrial operators, employers, government agencies, manufacturers, and food manufacturers.
To learn more about your rights and how to proceed with your claim, be sure to contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible. Most attorneys work on a contingency basis, with no obligation, so you have nothing to lose, but a great deal to gain.
