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The authors undertook this study to determine changes in the daily concentration of cadmium, copper, and zinc in Japanese workers' urine over a 13-year period from 1985 to 1998. The workers were aged between 20 and 59 years. The authors studied 277 subjects in 1985, 320 in 1993, and 292 in 1998, for a total of 889 (464 men and 425 women). Although, in both men and women, urinary excretions of cadmium and copper were lower in 1993 and 1998 than in 1985, they were not substantially lower in 1998 than in 1993. The authors observed no marked changes between 1985, 1993, and 1998 regarding the excretion of zinc in any of the age groups in either men or women. Furthermore, the excretion of urinary cadmium in 1998 still exceeded the tolerable limit levels in the general population of the investigated region in Japan. This fact suggests the necessity of further nationwide investigation and comprehensive measures to reduce cadmium exposure in Japanese society. KEYWORDS: 24-hour urine sample, urinary cadmium excretion, urinary copper excretion, urinary zinc excretion, It is well known that long-term exposure to cadmium in the general environment causes renal dysfunction. (1,2) Over the past several years, we have demonstrated dose-effect and dose-response relationships between [...]

The effect of blood cadmium (Cd), which reflects not only Cd body burden but also recent Cd exposure and communicates with fetal blood in the placenta, on newborn size at birth was investigated. Blood Cd of 55 mothers from Toyama, Japan, at 30-32 gestational weeks was measured using a flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The relationship between blood Cd and newborn size was analyzed after adjustment for gestational age and maternal build. A significant inverse correlation was found between infant height and maternal blood Cd. After adjustment for gestational age and maternal weight at 30-32 gestational weeks, the significant inverse relationship between maternal blood Cd and infant height was shown using the multiple regression analysis. Newborn size might be influenced by maternal blood Cd levels to which infants may be exposed during gestation., PREVIOUS STUDIES reported only a small amount of cadmium (Cd) transport via the umbilical cord; therefore, little attention has been paid to the effects of maternal Cd exposure on the [...]

This study investigated the relationship between total cadmium intake and mortality among rural inhabitants of the Jinzu River Basin, Japan. A follow-up survey was conducted for 6,128 days on 3,236 inhabitants. The rural communities were divided into 2 groups, one with a total cadmium intake of < 2.0 gm and the other [greater than or equal to] 2.0 gm. Standardized mortality ratios and a Cox's proportional hazard model indicated mortality risk was greater in the [greater than or equal to] 2.0 gm group, compared with the < 2.0 gm group. In the Jinzu River Basin, a total cadmium intake [greater than or equal to] 2.0 gm exerts an adverse influence on life prognosis., CADMIUM (Cd) contamination from an upstream mine in the Jinzu River Basin of the Toyama region, Japan, led to the development of Itai-itai disease in many of the local inhabitants. [...]

A 9-y follow-up study of 3 178 persons who lived in a cadmium-polluted area was conducted to assess the influence of environmental cadmium exposure on long-term outcome. The standardized mortality ratios of the urinary [[beta].sub.2]-microglobulin-positive subjects (> 1 000 [micro]g/g creatinine) of both sexes were higher than those of the general Japanese population, whereas the cumulative survival curves were lower than those of the urinary [[beta].sub.2]-microglobulin-negative group. A significant association was also found between urinary [[beta].sub.2]-microglobulin and mortality, using a Cox's proportional hazards model. Moreover, mortality rates increased in proportion to increases in the amount of urinary [[beta].sub.2]-microglobulin excreted. These results suggest that the prognosis for cadmium-exposed subjects with proximal tubular dysfunction is unfavorable. The mortality rate tended to become higher as the severity of renal dysfunction progressed., ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS that result from environmental cadmium (Cd) pollution have been reported in many regions in Japan,(1) a notable example being itai-itai disease in the Jinzu River basin, located [...]