Cadmium It is one of the leading causes of many dangerous diseases in humans. So What is Cadmium?? What physical and chemical properties do they have? How dangerous are they and how can cadmium be prevented from entering the body? Specific information about Cadmium will be stated in the article below.
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ToggleWhat is Cadmium?
Cadmium, also known as Cadmium, is a chemical element discovered in Germany around 1817. This element has the chemical symbol Cd. The atomic number (ordinal number in the periodic table of chemical elements) of Cd is 48.
Outstanding properties of Cadmium
In terms of physical properties, Cadmium is a relatively rare heavy metal in nature today. Cadmium exists in the solid state, is relatively soft, flexible, malleable and easy to cut with a knife. Cadmium is white with a bluish tint.
In terms of chemical properties, Cadmium has a valence of 1 or 2. The most common oxidation state of Cadmium is 2+. In terms of solubility, Cadmium has good solubility in dilute nitric acid solution or concentrated sulfuric acid solution.
Cadmium does not rust and is quite toxic. Cadmium toxicity is comparable to that of lead and mercury. Therefore, cadmium is considered a most dangerous and unnecessary substance in life.
Where is cadmium found?
Cadmium is rarely present in its pure form. This substance often combines with other chemical elements to form chemical compounds. Some chemical compounds are formed, such as Cadmium Chloride, Cadmium Oxide, Cadmium Sulfate or Cadmium Sulfide.
In nature, Cadmium is often found with compounds including zinc and phosphorus. However, unlike these two substances, Cadmium does not bring any value to human life.
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Effects of Cadmium on human health
Cadmium is harmful to the respiratory tract
As mentioned above, Cadmium is a substance classified as extremely toxic metals. When the body regularly tolerates foods containing Cadmium, the user will be prone to diseases related to the respiratory tract.
If it is mild, the user will feel chest tightness and difficulty breathing. When the disease gets worse, the user will have symptoms such as a high fever that does not go down for many hours, or even a slowed heart rate. If you read these symptoms, immediately go to the nearest medical facility for testing.
Not only food, Cadmium also exists in severely polluted habitats. When breathing in these habitats for a long time, people will be prone to respiratory infections and even death due to cadmiums being inserted into the respiratory circuit, making the person unable to breathe.
Cadmium is harmful to the digestive system
In addition to causing harm to the respiratory tract, Cadmium-containing foods when entering the body also negatively affect the human digestive system. Cadmium infection of the digestive system can cause people to experience nausea, indigestion and continuous bowel movements for many hours, thereby leading to dehydration of the body.
Cadmium is harmful to the kidneys
The kidneys are the organs that filter the blood and water that is absorbed into the body. The use of many drinks containing cadmium, in the long run, will damage the functioning of the kidneys.
Specifically, the renal tubule reabsorption function will be affected. From there, the process of eliminating low-molecular-weight proteins through the urine will take place more often.
Long-term intoxication, in addition, is also likely to cause impaired glomerular health. This is the main cause of kidney stones.
Cadmium causes dangerous diseases
Cadmium is one of the main causes of cancer. This is a very dangerous disease that can lead to death. To date, no definitive treatment for this disease has been found.
Cadmium infected people with cancer will quickly metastasize and destroy other organs in turn.
Cadmium causes osteoporosis
Cadmium tends to destroy all the calcium needed for bones in the human body. Calcium deficiency easily leads to bone-related diseases such as osteoporosis, pain in the legs and pelvis.
In addition, Cadmium also inhibits a number of substances and minerals necessary for the human body to form biochemical enzymes for life activities such as Zn, Sn, Fe, etc.
Cadmium poisoning prevention
Up to now, no optimal cadmium detoxification has been found. Therefore, it is very important to actively prevent Cadmium from entering the body.
The first note in preventing cadmium poisoning is to select foods before putting them into the body. Because Cadmium can exist or cling to many foods, users should consider before buying vegetables, tubers, fruits, seeds of unknown origin, origin or likely to contain Cadmium.
The second note in preventing Cadmium poisoning is to limit exposure to a polluted environment such as industrial zones producing copper, lead, zinc …, because Cadmium exists a lot in this environment. In situations where it is imperative to go to those places, readers should equip themselves with masks and other protective accessories.
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The final note in preventing cadmium poisoning is to use only quality water. Cadmium is sometimes mixed in water. Therefore, users should only use bottled water from reputable water brands. In every household, water purifiers capable of removing heavy metals such as cadmium should also be installed.
Cadmium It is a heavy metal that has many negative effects on the body. This metal often exists in polluted environments and many foods and water sources of unknown origin. In short, the article provides the reader with all the information to answer the question What is Cadmium? and its effects on human health. Users should be selective about the foods and drinks put into the body and need to wear protective gear to be able to protect themselves against this dangerous metal.
John Alen was born in 1971 and is a doctor in the healthcare and psychology fields with many years of experience. He is currently working at easyhealthylive.com, a leading health and psychology blog. Having studied at Y1 National Medical University named after IM Sechenov, John Alen is using his knowledge and experience to help improve the physical and mental health of people in the United States.