Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
763 subjects and its relationships to age, blood pres-
sure, BMI, cognitive function, gender, and smoking
were examined. No statistically signifi cant relation-
ships were found between the levels of Cd in the blood
and the mentioned recordings or measurements.
In inhabitants of a mildly Cd-polluted district in
Belgium, the amount of 24-hour urinary Cd excreted
was found to correlate with low blood pressure (Staes-
sen
et al
., 1984). In a large-scale epidemiological survey
conducted in the United States, no association was
noted between urinary Cd and blood pressure (Whit-
temore
et al
., 1991). With regard to cardiovascular
manifestations, in a group of 52
Itai-Itai
disease patients
and persons requiring observation compared with an
age-matched control group, the ECG fi ndings were
characterized by a scarcity of ischemic changes and an
increasing of the PR/RR ratio (Kagamimori
et al
., 1986).
Peripheral arterial disease was associated (not statis-
tically signifi cant) with blood Cd in a cross-sectional
study in the United States (Navas-Acien
et al
., 2005).
In summary, human studies consistently indicate
decreased blood pressure in persons with severe renal
injury, but the effect of mild Cd exposure on blood
pressure has yet to be resolved.
level, short-term exposure, no reports have clearly
described the development of hepatic injury in either
Cd workers or inhabitants of Cd-polluted regions.
7.2.7 Effects on Bone
The frontier interest in health effects caused by
Cd relates to bone effects. An increasing incidence of
osteoporosis is occurring in industrialized countries
worldwide. A high number of such cases are smokers,
suggesting a link between Cd in tobacco and osteoporo-
sis. Studies in humans who had been exposed occu-
pationally to Cd for almost 20 years have suggested
relationships not only between Cd dose and decreased
bone mineral density but also between Cd dose and
osteoporosis (Jarup
et al
., 1998a). Nordberg
et al
. (2002)
and Wang
et al
. (2003) found decreased bone mineral
density in Chinese farmers exposed for more than 30
years to Cd from rice.
The infl uence of Cd on bone matter can be divided
into osteomalacia and osteoporosis. The former has been
observed in Cd workers and inhabitants of Cd-polluted
regions in Japan. Since 1942, a number of cases of bone
effects, primarily osteomalacia, have been reported for
Cd workers (Table 7): 5 cases in France (Nicaud
et al
.,
1942), 10 cases in Poland, 1 case of osteomalacia, and
4 cases of osteoporosis in England, all with proteinuria
and calciuria in workers exposed to CdS (Kazantzis,
1979; 2004), and 10 cases in Russia (Kjellstrom, 1986b).
In Sweden, kidney stones, calciuria, and proteinuria
7.2.6 Liver Disturbances
Although morphological changes in the liver and
fl uctuations of enzyme activity have been demon-
strated in animal experiments, particularly after high-
TABLE 7
Total Reported Number of Itai-Itai Patients and Cases of Suspected
Cadmium Poisoning with Bone Effects
Ichi River
Kakehashi
Area
Jinzu River basin
basin
River basin
Tsusima Island
Toyama
Hyougo
Ishikawa
Nagasaki
Year
Prefecture
Prefecture
Prefecture
Prefecture
1967-1970
124(3)
1971-1980
7
5
1
1
1981-1990
23
1
8(1)
1991-2000
29
2001-2004
5
Total
188(3)
5
2
9(1)
( ) is a male case
Itai-Itai disease is offi cially recognized only in the Jinzu River basin
Work environment
Suspected cadmium poisoning
1942
6
France
1955
1
England
1963
8
France
1966
26
Poland
1969-1980
3
England
1973-1975
10
Soviet Union
1980
1
France
