Urinary cadmium and beta2-microglobulin concentrations from approximately 1000 samples from the general adult U.S. population, collected as part of the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey II (NHANES II), were related to nutritional and smoking history of the individuals. Urinary cadmium concentration was negatively correlated with dietary iron (significance level of 0.0065), negatively correlated with dietary calcium (significance level of less than 0.0001), and significantly (level of less than 0.001) higher in past or present smokers than in those who had never smoked. The results suggest increased cadmium absorption in the presence of low dietary intake of iron, low dietary intake of calcium, and cigarette smoking in the general population of the United States.