Chocolate contains cadmium that can increase cancer risk

Children and adults all over the world love chocolate, either enjoying it by eating chocolate bars or sipping warm cocoa drinks. But behind its delicious taste, cacao contains cadmium, a chemical substance harmful to kidneys. It also increases the risk of cancer. If we compare it to other harmful heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium may not seem to be that bad. But, exposure to cadmium for a long time, even in small amounts, can be dangerous as it accumulates in the body. Our body needs ten to thirty years to digest cadmium.

 Why cadmium, a metal that can cause kidney and bone damage, is still used in jewelry

While more expensive jewelry might be made of silver, gold, or platinum, cheaper alternatives can be formed from metals like nickel, which can cause allergic reactions, lead, or cadmium. Indeed, cadmium’s use in contemporary jewelry may be linked to manufacturers shying away from working with lead. Reporting on the use of the former in children’s jewelry back in 2010, the AP wrote, “Barred from using lead in children’s jewelry because of its toxicity, some Chinese manufacturers have been substituting the more dangerous heavy metal cadmium in sparkling charm bracelets and shiny pendants being sold throughout the United States.”

After ‘Cadmium Rice,’ now ‘Lead’ and ‘Arsenic Rice’

“Cadmium rice” is a well-known term in China since a 2013 Guangdong Province government report that 44 percent of rice samples had excessive levels of cadmium attracted attention. But the Greenpeace study extended the concept by listing “arsenic rice,” “mercury rice” and “lead rice.” Of those four toxic substances, only mercury levels appeared relatively safe.

Arsenic, Lead and Cadmium in the Organic Food Supply

The toxic elements lead and cadmium are probably 2-3 orders of magnitude more toxic than arsenic, generally speaking. While each metal targets different body organs and metabolic pathways, the overall toxicity of lead and cadmium is many times that of arsenic.

Cadmium and Cancer: Plant vs. Animal Foods

Though the most concentrated sources of the toxic metal cadmium are cigarette smoke, seafood, and organ meats, does greater consumption from whole grains and vegetables present a concern?

Cadmium Confusion: Do Consumers Need Protection?

Because cadmium is such a long-lived toxicant in the human body, the research community agrees on the need to limit cadmium exposures from as many sources as possible.

Cadmium risk ‘well documented’ in Portland since 2009

“This particular focus on cadmium and arsenic targets glass manufacturing but there’s all sorts of other emitters in the city,” said Dr. Linda George with the PSU Department of Environmental Sciences.

Cadmium toxicity and treatment: An update

Cadmium poisoning has been reported from many parts of the world. It is one of the global health problems that affect many organs and in some cases it can cause deaths annually. Long-term exposure to cadmium through air, water, soil, and food leads to cancer and organ system toxicity such as skeletal, urinary, reproductive, cardiovascular, central and peripheral nervous, and respiratory systems.

China’s Ravaged Farmlands

Hazardous levels of cadmium, nickel, arsenic, lead and mercury as well as pesticides contaminate the soil. The heavy metal contaminants come from mines, smelters and factories that continue to dump untreated sewage into rivers that connect to irrigation channels.

Detoxing Polluted Rice Paddies With Lime

Rice Paddies are the cradle of life in many countries. But some have become conduits of death and disease because of industrial pollution.

Is Cadmium as Dangerous for Children as Lead?

Signs are emerging that children are suffering from exposure to cadmium, a widespread heavy metal.

Moss Reveals Staggering Concentration Of Cadmium Air Pollution

Scientists from the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station found that moss is a good bioindicator of cadmium air pollution linked to cancer and kidney disease.

New Food Scare: Some Cadmium With Your Rice?

China isn’t alone in facing problems with cadmium. McDonald’s Corp. in June last year had to recall 12 million glasses promoting the movie ‘Shrek’ after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said the glasses contained cadmium.

Soil Pollution in China Still a State Secret

Overall, the report admits that the situation is “not optimistic.” The survey further reveals that inorganic pollutants are the primary contaminants in China’s soil. Chronic exposure to cadmium can lead to kidney disease, and was recently found to be present in almost half of the rice tested in the city of Guangzhou, the capital city in Southeastern Guangdong province.

The Trouble With Rice

But it’s not just arsenic and cadmium, which are present in soil both as naturally occurring elements and as industrial byproducts. Recent studies have shown that rice is custom-built to pull a number of metals from the soil, among them mercury and even tungsten. The findings have led to a new push by scientists and growers to make the grain less susceptible to metal contamination.

There Could Be Lead And Cadmium In Your Favorite Easter Candy

Chocolate bunnies are a staple candy for Easter, but you might want to fill your children's baskets with other options. A health watchdog group released a list of chocolates that contain dangerous heavy metals like lead and cadmium that includes items from many popular brands.