Evaluation of kidney damage by cadmium in a population exposed to its contamination in farmers from Quila-Quila, Potosí

Abstract

Cadmium is a heavy metal present in mining and other wastes, and has deleterious effects on human health especially in the kidney in which it destroys tubular cells. In an investigation of the quality of the river beds that receive wastewater in the north of Potosí, Bolivia, the presence of cadmium was reported in potatoes watered with these water in Quila-quila, a rural town in the area. The objective of this work was to identify possible damage from cadmium to the health of the inhabitants of Quila-quila. Methods: for this, clinical review and clinical and chemical laboratory analysis of blood and urine from the inhabitants of Quila-quila, and the filtration rate was calculated glomerular (GFR) and this was correlated with indicators of glomerular injury. Results: elevated levels of cadmium were found in the blood in some people, and a correlation of GFR with blood cadmium concentration and indicators of membrane injury glomerular. Conclusion: in conclusion, the inhabitants of Quila-quila were contaminated by cadmium, which caused mild kidney damage.