Cadmium

**    Cadmium    **  **Substance Abbreviation:  ** Cd    **History:  ** //Discovery//: ·   This element was discovered by a German chemist named Friedrich Strohmeyer. He found it as an impurity in zinc carbonate (calamine). //Uses//: ·   The British Pharmaceutical Codex states that in 1907 this highly toxic element was used as a remedy for enflamed joints, scrofulous glands, and chilblains. · Three quarters of cadmium is used as a negative electrode in rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries. · It can be used as a paint pigment for reds, oranges and yellows   · It can be used as a semiconductor in solar cells

 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 90%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 90%;"> ·It can be a stabilizer for PVC <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; white-space: normal;">

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; white-space: normal;">        · Because of it's resistance to fatigue, it is often used for coating or plating

**<span style="color: rgb(27, 63, 187);">Why is it considered hazardous? **  Cadmium is considered dangerous because it does not readily break down. It can stay in the environment for long periods of time, travel long distances as particles in the air, dissolve in water, and bind to soil. Cadmium can be taken up from the environment by fish, plants and animals. Its numerous health risks also add to the severity of this element. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 90%;">**<span style="color: rgb(49, 54, 160);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(35, 85, 169);">Where could exposure come from? ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 90%;"> · Consumption of cadmium containing foods (highest levels found in shellfish, liver, and kidney meats) · Smoking cigarettes or being exposed to second-hand smoke · Breathing air contaminated with cadmium · Drinking contaminated water <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 90%;">**<span style="color: rgb(39, 39, 160);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(35, 85, 169);">Short and long term health effects of exposure: **   **<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal;">· Breathing it can cause severe damage to lungs **   · Ingesting it can irritate the stomach, cause vomiting and diarrhea · A build up of cadmium in the body can cause a build-up in the kidneys, which could lead to kidney disease · Long term exposure can lead to loss of bone mass and increased fragility · It is a known human carcinogen · In children there is a greater tendency to lose bone strength