Cadmium, Cd

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) is a nonessential and toxic element to animals and plants. In recent years, clear changes in the use of this element have been evident, which has resulted in reduced amounts of Cd being released into the environment. Despite the emissions of Cd gradually decreasing since the 1990s, its presence in different components of the environment is still a severe ecological and health problem. Cadmium, due to its short biological half-life period, acts as a cumulative poison. It shows an explicit tendency to bioaccumulate and even at low levels of exposure can accumulate in animal tissues, reaching values significant as toxic interactions. The highest concentrations of Cd are found in the tissues of free-ranging animals that live in the impact range of Cd emitters. Internal concentrations may even be up to dozens of times higher than in animals from nonpolluted areas. In the tissues of game animals, sometimes levels are found so high that they are rejected for human consumption. Such contamination in the environment causes not only numerous disorders within the organism itself but may also result in changes in the whole ecosystem, especially the negative effects of cadmium in reproductive disorders and increased infant mortality in animals.