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ASSESSMENT OF CADMIUM EXPOSURE AND TOXICITY RISK IN AN AMERICAN VEGETARIAN POPULATION
Citation:
Willard, R. ASSESSMENT OF CADMIUM EXPOSURE AND TOXICITY RISK IN AN AMERICAN VEGETARIAN POPULATION. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/1-85/009.
Description:
It has been postulated that nonvegetarians may be exposed to less cadmium than vegetarians because of the cadmium-poor meat in their diet. This study attempts to test this possibility by measuring the cadmium exposure and accumulation in a population subgroup that includes many vegetarians. The conclusions are: No statistical difference in cadmium exposure rate is demonstrated between the nonvegetarians and lacto-ovo-vegetarians of this study. The cadmium exposure rate of the small group of pure vegetarians studied is in the direction anticipated (higher than nonvegetarians) but is not large enough to achieve statistical significance. Cadmium accumulation in the critical organ (kidney) of subjects coming to autopsy is well below the range associated with renal injury. Quantitative methods for measuring total urine protein are not as satisfactory for assessing tubular proteinuria as those developed to measure the small proteins that normally appear in the glomerular filtrate.