Maryam Rasheed *
A review has been made of current knowledge, published and unpublished, relating to cadmium toxicity. Cadmium is a heavy metal that occurs as a natural constituent in earth crust along with Copper, Lead, Nickel and Zinc. Cadmium is vastly used in batteries, coating, plating, alloys etc in various industries. Human are commonly exposed to cadmium by inhalation and ingestion. Cadmium enters in air and binds to small particles where it can combine with water or soil causing contamination of fish, plants and animal in mono form. Spills at hazardous waste sites and improper waste disposal can cause cadmium leakage in nearby habitats. Foodstuff like liver, mushroom, shellfish, mussels, cooca power and dried seaweeds are cadmium rich increasing the concentration in human body and in food chain lead to acute and chronic intoxication due to bio magnification. Health effects include diarrhea, stomach pain, bone fracture, reproductive failure and possibly even infertility, damage to central nervous system, psychological disorders. The organic matter in soil absorbs cadmium increasing the risk of survival of various plants and also increase uptake of toxin metal in food. The review is about the study of toxicity mechanism of cadmium in human beings and plants and biological phenomena involved.
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