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The excretion and the uptake of Ca in rats were investigated in detail after the oral administration of CdCl 2 for various periods of time. The rats which had been pretreated with CdCl 2 for 1 month excreted 55% of orally administered 47 Ca in feces, whereas the rats which had not been pretreated with CdCl 2 for the same period excreted only 20% of the orally administered 47 Ca into feces. These facts indicate that the absorption of Ca from the gastrointestinal tract was lowered by the exposure of rats to Cd. Most of the excreted 47 Ca was found in feces, even when Ca was administered iv. Thus, the rats which had been pretreated with CdCl 2 for 3 months excreted 80% of the iv administered Ca into feces. Furthermore, the uptake of iv administered 47 Ca into bones was found to decrease up to 30% by the pretreatment of rats with CdCl 2 for 3 months. These observations support the hypothesis that Cd is one of the important factors in the development of the so-called “itai-itai” disease, which is a form of osteomalacia and an endemic disease in Cd-polluted areas in Japan.