Although the recall of McDonald's Shrek promotional glasses due to cadmium-tainted paint might have surprised consumers, cadmium is a known health hazard. Here are some facts from the US Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry about cadmium and health risks.
Basic Facts To Know about Cadmium Exposure and Health Risks
Consumers should be on a health alert about cadmium. Here's a summary of its health risks:
- Inhaled or ingested even in small amounts, cadmium can cause long term health problems.
- The body builds up cadmium over time.
- Most people don't know it, but cadmium is found in all foods, and especially in shellfish, kidney and liver. The CDC's recommendation is to eat a well balanced diet to avoid over consumption of naturally occurring cadmium in foods.
- Cadmium is used in the manufacture of metal plating, rechargable batteries and plastics, as well as paint pigments. (The McDonald's glasses were recalled because of the paint.)
What Illness Can be Caused by Cadmium Exposure?
What kind if symptoms and illness might be caused by cadmium depend on the level and intensity of exposure. Cadmium can cause a range of symptoms from vomiting to lung damage.
- People who work in manufacturing plants with high levels of cadmium in the air can suffer lung damage.
- People who eat food or drink water with high cadmium levels may experience vomiting and diarrhea.
- Whether one ingests it through breathing cadmium-polluted air, or ingests it in food or liquid, a buildup of cadmium can result in bone loss, fragile bones, and possibly kidney disease.
- Exposure to cadmium may cause cancer. According to the CDC, cadmium and cadmium compounds are also known human carcinogens.
What is the Impact on Children of Cadmium?
Children and adults run the same long-term risks of cadmium exposure: kidney disease, and possibly bone loss. Some animal studies suggest, however, that juvenile exposure to cadmium may result in greater loss of bone, and greater bone fragility in children than in adults.
- Children are unlikely to exhibit any immediate symptoms of cadmium toxicity in the short term, such as after drinking from a McDonald's Shrek tumbler – except in the unlikely case that they have been exposed to food or water with high cadmium levels.
- Because cadmium is built up over time in the body, even small exposures (such as might potentially occur should a child ingest a tiny bit of the paint in the recalled McDonald's Shrek tumbler glasses) can add up.
- Even if it seems harmless, parents should avoid children's ongoing exposure to toys and products known to contain cadmium, such as the juvenile jewelery and McDonald's Shrek glasses that have been subject to voluntary recall.
Is there Cadmium in Food?
Interestingly, according to the CDC, "low levels (of cadmium) are found in all foods." Certain foods, notably shellfish, liver, and kidney meats, contain the highest levels of cadmium.
How To Avoid Cadmium Health Risks
It's impossible to know if and when one is ingesting or inhaling cadmium. As a general rule, it's best to avoid smoke, polluted air and water. Also, it's wise to be cautious about one's working environment.
- Avoid smoking and breathing second hand smoke. Cadmium is found in the smoke.
- Avoid breathing contaminated air in the workplace
- Avoid drinking cadmium-contaminated water
- Avoid living near industrial facilities which pollute the air with cadmium.
Source:
ToxFAQs for Cadmium, Sept. 2008, US Department of Health and Human Services.
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