Cadmium (Cd) in urine (chromatography)
Cadmium is widely used in engineering, metallurgy, manufacture of inorganic colouring agents, electrodes, batteries and accumulators.
It can enter the environment from steelworks, waste combustion, welding, and the plastic manufacture.
High concentrations of this metal are found in tobacco smoke.
In addition, cadmium is one of the products of radioactive decay.
More often poisoning with it occurs when working in conditions of industrial exposure to cadmium vapors or inorganic compounds.
Organic cadmium compounds can enter the body with foodstuffs during industrial pollution of the environment, when trace element gets into various vegetables and cereals from the soil.
The first strokes of acute intoxication with cadmium vapors are usually:
- irritation of the pharynx
- damage to the nasal mucosa
Next, frustration, pain on breathing, labored breathing, severe cough, nausea, vomiting, cyanosis, body temperature rises to 38-39 °C, pulse rate increases.
Acute poisoning with cadmium vapor leads to:
- pneumonia
- pulmonary oedema
And chronic poisoning leads to:
- pulmonary fibrosis
In excessive intake of cadmium in the gastrointestinal tract intoxication proceeds by the type of severe gastroenteritis, nausea, vomiting, salivation, spastic abdominal pain, diarrhea.
Chronic poisoning leads to:
- renal dysfunction
- anemia
- respiratory failure
- osteohalisteresis
- hypertension
- chronic rhinitis
- pharyngitis
- anosmia
- ulceration of the nasal septum
When kidney damage (cadmium nephropathy) progresses gradually over several years, the prognosis is poor.
If cadmium dose is more than 350 mg, fatal case may occur due to:
- shock
- acute renal failure
- cardiopulmonary insufficiency