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Cadmium

CAS Number: 7440-43-9

SERIOUS
health hazard

MODERATE
health hazard

FEW OR NO
health hazards

0 79
80 89
90 100
47

Sources of exposure:

cleaning products and household care
food
industrial uses

Arts & crafts, batteries

Description:

Cadmium is a naturally occurring heavy metal found at low levels in the environment. It has industrial uses including metal plating and rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries, and cadmium-based pigments are used to produce bright red, yellow, and orange colors. Cadmium can contaminate food crops through soil uptake and is subject to global restrictions on use and exposure. It is banned for use in cosmetics.

Health concerns:

Cancer

Known or suspected to increase cancer risk in humans.

Reproductive Toxicity

May alter hormone function and harm reproduction.

Developmental Toxicity

May impact fetal development and birth outcomes.

Genotoxicity

May cause mutations or damage DNA in cells.

Organ System Toxicity

May cause organ damage and disease.

Irritant

May cause skin, eye, or respiratory irritation.

Ecotoxicity

May be toxic to ecosystems and wildlife.

Banned/restricted lists:

  • European Commission Annex VII restricted substances under REACH. European Commission Annex II prohibited substances. U.S. Standards for Cadmium Exposure. REACH Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC) Government of Canada. List of Ingredients that are Prohibited for Use in Cosmetic Products.

References

  1. US Environmental Protection Agency. Cheminformatics Modules, Computational Toxicology and Exposure Informatics (CompTox).
  2. US National Library of Medicine. PubChem database.

HOW MILLION MARKER SCORES CHEMICALS

Million Marker's Ingredient Hazard Scoring uses multiple chemical databases and a science-backed scoring system to compute hazard scores for thousands of chemicals found in consumer products and listed on ingredient labels.

We identified key chemicals based on a database compiling dozens of authoritative sources, screening tools, and QSAR models.

Hazard scores within 11 different health categories (carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, reproductive toxicants, developmental toxicants, genotoxicity, neurotoxicity, organ system toxicity, immunotoxicity, respiratory toxicity, skin/eye/respiratory irritants, and ecotoxicity).

They are weighted based on several factors, including strength of evidence for adverse impacts in humans, severity, and potential contamination.

For more information on our scoring methodology visit this page.