Cadmium poisoning

Fur seals on a remote island chain are exposed to huge amounts of toxic heavy metals – yet somehow, they're healthy

Retrieved on: 
Monday, May 1, 2023
Phytoplankton, Human, Travel, Diet, Zinc, Metal, Zooplankton, Mammal, Eating, Chlorophyll, Mercury, Bone pain, Hepatopancreas, Plant, Sunlight, Climate change, Animal, Hunting, Population, Iron, Volcanic explosivity index, Metabolism, Risk, Mining, Food chain, Cadmium poisoning, Micronutrient, Neurological disorder, Weather, Juan, Cadmium, Dietary supplement, Rare-earth element, Fertilizer

Their mysterious nature owes a lot to their seclusion on an archipelago of the same name 600km off the Chilean coast.

Key Points: 
  • Their mysterious nature owes a lot to their seclusion on an archipelago of the same name 600km off the Chilean coast.
  • These remote islands are situated in a protected national park – the last place you might expect to find animals exposed to high levels of pollution.
  • This species is ingesting exceptionally high concentrations of these toxic heavy metals through its diet, but how they enter the food chain proved to be more complicated than we anticipated.

Where are the heavy metals coming from?

    • These heavy metals are highly toxic even in small amounts, and they have few known biological uses.
    • Heavy metals occur naturally in the Earth’s crust and are emitted by volcanic eruptions or as a result of rocks being worn down by the weather.
    • These molluscs can accumulate large quantities of heavy metals in their kidneys and, especially, in an organ known as the hepatopancreas.
    • Unlike humans, who largely only eat the tentacles, fur seals consume the whole prey, including the heavy metal-rich organs.

A new mystery

    • As expected, Juan Fernández fur seal skeletons were loaded with cadmium.
    • But, to our surprise, we could not find any other mineral changes which would be expected in an animal suffering from cadmium poisoning.
    • Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue.

New Government of Canada regulations protect children from exposure to lead and cadmium

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Chemistry, Chemical elements, Native element minerals, Post-transition metals, Cadmium, Soil contamination, Metal toxicity, Tellurium, Indium, Cadmium poisoning, Cadmium pigments

That is why Health Canada is introducing new limits for toxic metals in children's products to protect children from exposure to lead and cadmium through updates to the Children's Jewellery Regulations and through new Consumer Products Containing Lead Regulations.

Key Points: 
  • That is why Health Canada is introducing new limits for toxic metals in children's products to protect children from exposure to lead and cadmium through updates to the Children's Jewellery Regulations and through new Consumer Products Containing Lead Regulations.
  • Exposure to lead or cadmium may pose a significant health risk to children who chew, suck or swallow items made with these metals.
  • Current science indicates that ingestion of even very low levels of lead or cadmium may be harmful to children.
  • To protect children from exposure to lead and cadmium in children's jewellery, Health Canada is:
    reducing the level of total allowable lead from 600 mg/kg to 90 mg/kg in children's jewellery; and
    introducing a strict 130 mg/kg total cadmium limit in these products.