Environmental toxins
Cadmium
Cd
Included in Complete.
Compare membershipsTobacco smoke and food shape your cadmium level.
Cadmium is a metal people take in mainly through food and tobacco smoke. Measuring it helps show whether your recent exposure looks higher than expected, which matters because the body holds on to cadmium for a long time.
Smoking makes the biggest difference for most people.
For people who smoke, tobacco smoke is the main source of cadmium, and their levels are much higher on average than those of non-smokers. People who don't smoke are exposed mainly through small amounts in food. Some jobs, such as battery manufacturing, soldering, and welding, can add more.
A blood cadmium result mainly reflects recent exposure. The body stores cadmium in the kidneys for many years, so a urine test is often used to estimate long-term buildup.
Blood cadmium shows recent exposure. Urine tells the longer story.
Questions
What does a higher cadmium result mean?
It most often reflects smoking or breathing other people's smoke, and sometimes work exposure. Your clinician may look at your kidney results too, since cadmium collects in the kidneys over time.
Can my level come down?
Blood cadmium reflects recent exposure, so it can fall once that exposure stops, for example after quitting smoking. The amount stored in the kidneys declines much more slowly.